


Muse

by Aviantei



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Also connected to Chronic Guardian's Hybrid, Gen, I'm Bad At Tagging, Lots of spoilers for the endgame, Post-Reapers' Game (TWEWY), Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-02-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:20:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 106,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22177687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aviantei/pseuds/Aviantei
Summary: Every Composer needs their Muse. Some are just a little more insistent with how they get theirs. When former Player Tsukiko Hotaru is given an offer to reenter the Reaper's Game for the sake of Shibuya, she finds out that there may be more at risk than her own position in the city-both for the people she cares for, and the UG surrounding them. [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]
Kudos: 3





	1. Another Day:  “Luck & Hope”

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction was originally posted on fanfiction.net on December 29, 2018 and it is still ongoing. I completed the first half for the 2018-2019 season of [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm], and I'm working on Season Two for the 2019-2020 season (and I'll theoretically wrap it up next year).
> 
> This fic is essentially an exploration into some ideas I had for how the Reapers' end of the UG works. While I originally intended it as a stand-alone idea back at conception, by the time I'd gotten to writing it, I'd managed to make friends with some other awesome TWEWY writers on ff.net. As such, this fic is set in the same timeline as Chronic Guardian's Hybrid, and it includes characters from it. Additionally, Hyoxjnn and EeveeGen9988 were kind enough to let me borrow some of their OCs as well.
> 
> I think that's enough of a preamble for this one, then. I hope you enjoy!

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

Another Day:

“Luck & Hope”

* * *

The CAT mural spread across the Udagawa wall with the same hemorrhage of colors and designs as it did back home. The vibe it gave off was the same, too, an undeniable presence amongst the otherwise peaceful street. Above, the sun shined down on a Shibuya that wasn’t a total mess. This world’s Sanae seemed to have the same intentions as many of the others, and the Imprints of _Enjoy the moment_ and _Gather_ pulsed through the city’s frequency, calling out to those who would receive the message.

Kiryu Yoshiya was one of those who could interpret the Imprint’s message, but that wasn’t why he was there. Udagawa had just so happened to be the most likely place to encounter this world’s Sakuraba Neku—a stark contrast to the Proxy Yoshiya had left behind. While the boy was still caught up in the throes of Yoshiya and Megumi’s bet, this world’s Neku had much more pressing matters to attend to in the form of Tin Pin Slammer.

Yoshiya had taken some time to do the same, but there was only so much he could do while his other self was about on the streets of Shibuya. It was best to wait for Sanae to receive his message so that Yoshiya could back to his world and see the results of his own game. From there it would be time to seal Shibuya’s fate.

Until then, though, there wasn’t much else he could do. _Perhaps some coffee at WildKat is in order._ If nothing else, this world’s Sanae wouldn’t blink an eye at an alternate Shibuya’s composer stopping by. And if he changed his mind, there was still plenty of other places in the city he could settle down in. This world’s Composer shouldn’t mind too much if Yoshiya decided to take up residence in the Room of Reckoning, should he?

Just as he was gearing up for the walk, one of the shop’s doors popped open—and Yoshiya stopped. It was a ridiculous sentiment, but he hadn’t expected to see her of all people while visiting another world. It seemed that her dark green hair had gotten long enough to clip up in the back, and she’d swapped out her clothes for an orange sleeveless turtleneck top and a blue skirt, dark spats peeking out underneath. White gloves stretched all the way up her otherwise bare arms, and a messenger bag bounced at her side as she started to walk back towards Shibu-Q Heads.

She didn’t notice him, too busy checking something on her phone. Yoshiya should’ve just let it go, but she wasn’t someone he saw everyday—he hadn’t seen her at all since a year ago, not once she left Shibuya. Even though the other worlds tended to have some overlap, but there was no guarantee that she knew who he was, let alone that she would even act the same.

It was ridiculous.

He didn’t need to talk to her.

Yoshiya opened his mouth anyway.

“Hotaru-chan!”

He had meant to come across as casual, but he could hear the slightest crack of pitch in his voice, and Yoshiya scowled at himself. She was just a teenage girl, one that he could easily Erase from existence at his full power. And yet he almost wanted her to not recognize him, just so he had a reason not to keep going.

However, Hotaru spun around at the sound of her name, eyes widening in surprise. The shopping bag he hadn’t realized she was carrying went right behind her back in defense. “Y-Yoshiya-kun!” she said, sounding every bit like he remembered. Her cheeks even tinted a light pink in embarrassment. It seemed her personality was still intact, even in another world. “Weren’t you headed over to the Slam-Off at Molco? It starts soon, doesn’t it?”

It seemed that his other self was also involved in the upcoming Slam Off. If nothing else, it meant that Yoshiya didn’t have to worry about any unpleasant interruptions when Hotaru realized there was another one of him around. “I thought you were coming to support me,” he said, still having enough of his powers to catch the gist of her thoughts. Acting like his other self wasn’t the most complex lie he’d ever told, anyways. He put on a slight smile, flicking his eyes up to hers. “I got worried when I didn’t see you, so I came here. What’s so important that you had to go shopping at a time like this?”

“A-ah, I was looking for a present for Nee-chan.” Hotaru was much less practiced at summoning a cover story on the sport, and the increased pitch of her voice didn’t help her case.

So Yoshiya kept on smiling and asked, “All the way out in Udagawa? I wasn’t aware that she had an interest in Wild Boar merchandise.” He gestured to the store Hotaru had just come out of, letting her fidget for a bit. It seemed this world really was different if she still had contact with her sister.

Hotaru cleared her throat, then pointed across the street. “I actually came up here for the record store. Nee-chan said she was looking for something new to listen to, so I thought I’d help out. I had some spare time, so I went browsing and, ah…” Too late, Hotaru realized she’d raised the hand carrying her bag, the Wild Boar logo emblazoned on the front. Yoshiya smirked a bit, knowing that he’d worked her into a corner. She gave him a sheepish smile before something in her expression shifted. “Um, sorry if this sounds a bit strange, but…

“You’re not my Yoshiya-kun, are you?”

Yoshiya blinked, then recovered his composure. “You noticed?” Yes, Hotaru was observant, but this was a bit more than something you could pick up by paying attention to someone’s body language. Still, he wasn’t about to give her the upper hand in the conversation that easily. “Whatever gave it away?”

Hotaru held up her other hand, her pale blue phone flipped shut in her grasp. “I was texting you—um, my you?—before you called out to me. And well…” Hotaru looked at him again, worry working its way into her expression. “You just seem tired, I think. At least, like you’re carrying something heavy. Not that I can tell what, but it’s different. And I don’t get all the details, but this is like something Hanekoma-san mentioned before, and well… You’re still you, even if you’re not, right, Ki—Jo—Yoshiya-san?”

Yoshiya allowed himself a chuckle as she shuffled between his family name and his nickname, only to end up back where she started. Still, it was a welcome change from the more familiar honorific she had been using—a reminder of how different things were between this world and his own. “You’re still as good at reading people as ever, Hotaru-chan. I’m surprised you noticed that much.” And that this world’s Sanae had told someone in the Real Ground enough for her to make a guess. “But you’re close enough to the mark. My world isn’t nearly as peaceful as this one is.”

Hotaru fidgeted a bit, a hand clutching against the pin pouch she still wore around her neck. “You said ‘still,’ and ‘ever,’ like he haven’t seen each other for a while.” Yoshiya didn’t mind too much that his little farce hadn’t played out, but he’d hoped that she’d focus on the other details. Still, that was just like her to pick apart the meaning in other people’s words. “And since you said your world, that means that all the stories Hanekoma-san tells are true?”

Yoshiya let his consciousness slip against hers, exploring more of her mind than he had before, touching more of her memories than just her fleeting thoughts. Yes, it seemed that Sanae had been telling fairy tales about the other Planes—and that this Hotaru didn’t even have the experience of the Reaper’s Game as an excuse to tell her. Yoshiya sighed. “I hope he isn’t this inclined to spill our secrets back home.”

Hotaru giggled a bit, some of her nervousness melting away. “So in other words, yes?”

“Yes, that’s right.” Admitting it probably wasn’t the best idea, but he wasn’t the one who had to worry about the cleanup. His other self could handle that chore. “There are other worlds beside this one. I’m visiting.” For lack of a better word, at least. Before Hotaru could react to that information, Yoshiya glanced against her thoughts once more and let his smirk return. “And the reason _you’re_ really here is to buy my other self a gift. How thoughtful!”

“I just—Well—” Despite her best efforts, Hotaru’s cheeks flared a brilliant pink as she tried and failed serval times to start a sentence. It seemed that she was still easily flustered in this world, too. That just so happened to work out very much in Yoshiya’s favor. With a look of defeat on her face, Hotaru sighed. “There’s just a pin you—ah, he’s been wanting for some time, so I figured I would pick it up for him. As a good luck charm, you know? I mean, I’m no good at Tin Pin, but he’s really awesome.”

Ah, that seemed to be the difference. The Hotaru from his Shibuya happened to have a decent amount of skill at Tin Pin—though she was hesitant to admit it at the best of times. It was nice to have some way to separate the girl in front of him from the one in his memory, no matter how small. “Well, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it, considering you went through all the trouble,” he said, and Hotaru smiled—just as bright as the one he remembered.

There was no point in thinking about it. Hotaru had left Shibuya, and Shibuya wouldn’t be around for much longer. Megumi only had one more week left before his timer disappeared. This week would be the end of it, no matter which way the Game went.

Hotaru looked at him with that concerned gaze again—then her phone rang before she could say anything else. Yoshiya gave her an understanding smile, and Hotaru muttered a quick apology before answering her phone.

“Hello. Yeah, I’m okay. Sorry.” Hotaru’s glance in Yoshiya’s direction made it obvious she was talking to his other self. The fact that her blush had resurfaced just made it easier to figure out. “Don’t fuss, I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon. Yes. No, I don’t need an escort. See you soon.” Wrapping up the brief exchange, Hotaru hung up, an apologetic expression on her face. “Sorry, Yoshiya-san, I should get going to Molco. I’m actually running late already.”

Yoshiya raised his hand. “No worries, I’m the one that got in your way,” he said. “Besides, I’m just here for a short visit. Nothing to be bothered with, Hotaru-chan.” At the very least, he could treat her with familiarity. She wasn’t the same as the one from his world. “You have a good time with your Slam-Off.”

He tried to wave her along, but Hotaru’s eyes flashed with the dawning of an idea. “Ah, hold on first!” Juggling the items in her hands, she managed to open the clasps on her messenger bag and started digging around inside. After a moment, she pulled out a bright blue folder, then started expertly flicking through the pages. Satisfied, she pulled out a piece of notebook paper. “Here,” she said, offering it to him. “It’s not much, but…I hope things get better for you, Yoshiya-san. It’s not quite the same as a pin, but maybe this can be a good luck charm?”

Before he could even think of an excuse not to, Yoshiya reached for the paper—not that Hotaru wouldn’t insist that he take it anyways. Scrawled across the paper was one of her poems. Not a draft, since the words weren’t in her regular jumbled process, but a refined product written in neat characters. He went to thank her, but Hotaru had already taken off on a jog across the streets of Udagawa, her phone ringing once again.

“I know, I know. Sheesh, you’re so impatient…!”

And just like that, she rounded the corner towards Shibu-Q Heads and vanished out of sight. It seemed Yoshiya would still be in this world for some time, so he could’ve taken the opportunity to talk to her more. But it wouldn’t do any good understanding what had happened differently in their past when it wouldn’t change the reality of his world.

Yoshiya glanced at the poem again and had to laugh.

“Really,” he said under his breath, crumpling the paper up in his palm, “just what do I look like to you that you think I need this?”

* * *

_I think you and I  
were meant to sail across the stars.  
Have you seen the moon? The world?  
I think  
with you and I  
we could fly together,  
  
and I call that feeling hope._

* * *

* * *

Another Day Bonus Episode

“Rendezvous & Present”

* * *

A bigger crowd had formed around Molco than Hotaru had expected, but she managed to make it to the building’s entrance without damaging her gift bag. After informing the (bulky and somewhat intimidating) man at the registration desk that she was only there to support someone, Hotaru did her best to navigate the even more clustered game room. People were chattering excitedly, comparing their beloved pins, and large posters on the walls declared the intention of the upcoming Slam Off in full ferocity. It took her a few moments to cut a path through the crowd, but Hotaru at last made it to the other end of the room where Yoshiya was.

Or, rather, where Yoshiya had said he would be. All Hotaru got was a poster for the new line of Slammurai action figures lining the shelves. She went over the instructions Yoshiya had given her over the phone, but she hadn’t misremembered—Yoshiya was supposed to be there. If something had happened that he needed to change their meeting place, we would have at least messaged her first.

“Boo.”

The loud bustle of the crowd took away some of the impact of the sudden voice in her ear, and Hotaru managed to turn around without accidentally elbowing the speaker in the gut first. Yoshiya—her Yoshiya, and not the one from the other world—looked at her, a look of faint disappointment on his face. “You didn’t quite react the way I had hoped you would, Hotaru-chan.”

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Hotaru put on a mock pout of her own. “You’ll have to try harder than that if you want to startle me after all this time, Yoshiya-kun.” After all, trying to catch her off guard was one of his favorite past times. She’d gained some resistance by this point.

“Noted for future endeavors, don’t you worry about that.” Maybe if Yoshiya spent all that time working on his Tin Pin Weekly articles rather than trying to scare Hotaru, Miki-san wouldn’t spend all _his_ time fighting off an impending a heart attack. Rather than giving Hotaru time to retort, Yoshiya leaned into her personal space. “Of course, I’m more concerned about why you were running late. Not getting into trouble, are we?”

Hotaru sighed, stepping as much out of the way as she could with her back up against a poster. “I was getting a certain _someone_ a good luck charm. But it sounds like he’s too busy being sarcastic to receive it. What a waste.” Hotaru held Yoshiya’s gaze, until his violet eyes managed to flicker away to the bag she was presenting to him. “For you, Yoshiya-kun.”

Yoshiya managed to smirk and don a look of mock surprise all the same time. “How thoughtful! It’d be rude to turn down a gift from a lady, now wouldn’t it?” Yoshiya accepted the gift, and Hotaru tried not to look too flustered as he opened it. With a careful attention he reserved for Tin Pin, Yoshiya examined the object in his hand, as if the black and yellow beast on its surface would reveal some secret to him. “Oh, you went through the trouble of getting this specially made for me? Goodness, you never cease to impress, Hotaru-chan. I’ll be sure to use it in the tournament.”

Though she’d expected the flattery, his last words caught Hotaru of guard, and she threw up her arms in protest. “Wait, you don’t need to go and do that! I know this tournament’s a big deal, and it takes time to get used to a new pin. You don’t need to—”

“Don’t be silly, the first rounds aren’t against anyone impressive. It’ll be more than enough time to get a proper warm up,” Yoshiya said, raising the hand with the pin in the air. Hotaru would’ve objected to the way he dismissed the other competitors if he wasn’t so stupid good at the game. “Though I will say, you didn’t have to do that much. If you wanted to give me a good luck gift, dear, a kiss would have—”

Hotaru didn’t stop herself from elbowing Yoshiya in the gut that time. But he still used the gift pin in the tournament, and she still cheered for him on the sidelines anyway.


	2. Three Days Prior:  “Reunion & Proposal”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

Three Days Prior:

“Reunion & Proposal”

* * *

Shibuya welcomed her just the same as it had before: with no hassle and the incessant buzz in the back of her mind to start creating. The only difference from her last vacation was that the temperature had risen, thanks to the onset of summer. Despite that, people still took to the streets in droves, filling up the gaps between buildings with a bustle of activity. It took some time to navigate through the crowds outside Towa Records, but the Miyashita Underpass brought some relief—both from the people and the heat.

Tsukiko Hotaru kept up the pace as she crossed through Miyashita Park, trying to outrace the nervousness that had been bubbling in her stomach since the morning. Just so she wouldn’t have the excuse to start writing, she’d left her messenger bag at home for the day, and instead had only the pin pouch around her neck to clutch onto for support. Laughter from a group of children playing near the park’s fountain reached her as she pressed onto the path ahead.

_This won’t be so bad, this won’t be so bad…_

The words didn’t do much for her frazzled state of mind, but Hotaru had to try anyways. The last time she’d come home to Shibuya had been over Golden Week, and she’d been too much of a coward to even attempt what she was doing now. But in the few months since then, she’d thought about it and decided that two years was long enough to go pretending like it hadn’t happened.

_Nee-chan wouldn’t have hesitated. You can do this._

Hotaru’s gait still stalled out as she turned onto Cat Street. Unlike the busier central areas of Shibuya, the foot traffic was much thinner here. There was hardly anything standing between her and the goal point. Forcing herself to take one step at a time—even if she stalled out every meter or so—Hotaru at last stood before the familiar café.

WildKat was a quaint looking place, and Hotaru could see the casual yet stylish décor through the store windows. Despite the welcoming atmosphere, there wasn’t a single customer in sight, either inside or on the tables arranged on the sidewalk. Though unlikely, Hotaru had been hoping for some sort of buffer to make the whole process easier.

“Just do it,” she told herself, then closed her eyes and pulled the door open.

The faint sound of a welcome bell signaled her presence, and a breath of air conditioning met her on the doorstep. No one was at the counter, but she could hear some chatter in the back. It would be so, so easy to just bolt for it, but she’d already wasted a week of her vacation hesitating over coming. If she kept chickening out, there wouldn’t be any time left.

“Well, if it isn’t a young lady I haven’t seen in a while,” the barista said as he stepped out to take up position behind the counter. Hanekoma Sanae smiled in greeting, looking the same as ever with his dark hair, sunglasses, and shirt and vest combo that could’ve been the pinnacle of professionalism if he bothered to tidy up a bit. Hotaru raised her hand to wave in greeting, and the door fell shut a while. Hanekoma waved her in. “No need to be such a stranger, Firefly. It’s been a few years, but you’re as welcome as ever.”

“R-right, sorry.” Hotaru crossed the linoleum floor, faint music playing in the background. Upon further inspection, the shine of the counter and some of the tables indicated that they’d replaced some of the previous décor. “You upgraded, Hanekoma-san?”

Hanekoma-san chuckled, a hand on his chin right underneath his wry smile. “We had a rather rowdy customer about a year ago. Made quite the mess of the place. It seemed like as good a time as ever to spruce things up.” Catching sight of Hotaru’s worried expression, he pressed forward. “Just some Game stuff that went a little wild. No one was hurt.”

“Thank goodness.” The previous summer, Hotaru hadn’t even bothered to come home and instead stayed in her school’s dorms the whole vacation—that’s how desperate she’d been to get away from everything. In that time, it seemed that Shibuya had moved on without her. _It’s not like I have a right to it or anything, though._ She was the one that had decided to run away.

“But hey, I bet you didn’t come all this way to just hear me complain about my shop getting wrecked. The new place looks nice, anyway.” Hotaru nodded, and Hanekoma-san grinned. “Whadya say? Cuppa joe?”

“Ah, yes please.” It was the least she could do for dropping by. Glancing past Hanekoma-san, she skimmed over the menu to try and jog her memory. “And I’ll also have…pumpkin pie?” It seemed that the décor wasn’t the only part of WildKat that had received an upgrade.

“You got it. Let’s see, that makes your total…” Hotaru opened the drawstring on her pin pouch, where she’d tucked away some yen. Once more, her parents had been overly generous in her allowance, so she had more than enough to indulge a little. “We’re looking at 1030 yen there, Firefly.”

“Shall I cover that for you?”

The voice may have been familiar, but that didn’t do much to stop the scream from leaping out of Hotaru’s throat. The café had been empty when she’d came in, and the bell hadn’t rung at the door since she’d arrived. And yet, standing right there when she’d whirled around was the person she’d been both hoping and terrified to see again. Unlike Hanekoma-san, who hadn’t changed in the slightest, it seemed that Yoshiya had. He’d grown a bit taller, and even his ashen blonde hair was long enough to brush past his shoulders. For the most part, his fashion sense had stayed the same with a button up and jeans, but a pair of oval glasses framed his eyes in their subtle shade of purple.

It should’ve been no surprise that he’d changed; Hotaru had changed, too. The difference was that she was still alive; Yoshiya, by way of being part of the UG, technically was not.

“Well, I’m not hearing a no,” Yoshiya said, remaining as calm as ever. Hotaru could feel her pulse pounding through every end of her body. Smiling, Yoshiya raised a hand to Hanekoma-san. “Go ahead and put that on my tab, Sanae. And double that order if you don’t mind?”

“Sure thing, Josh.” Hanekoma-san didn’t sound the least bit perturbed by the boy that had appeared from thin air into his café. Then again, Hanekoma-san had been dealing with such things for way longer than Hotaru. “Do try to go easy on the young lady here, yeah? You’ll scare her off like that. And after all the effort she took to come here, too.”

A faint frown crossed Yoshiya’s face as he crossed his arms. “Yes, yes, your advice is noted.” That seemed to be enough to appease Hanekoma-san, judging by the retreating sounds of his sandaled footsteps. Hotaru sucked in a breath and tried to remember how to get words to come out of her mouth. “Well, I do suppose it wouldn’t do to be a poor host. Welcome back to Shibuya, Hotaru-chan. It’s nice to see you.”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” she said, almost echoing the pleasantries out of habit. It was better than nothing. “Sorry for screaming. I-I didn’t expect you. Did you tune down from the UG?”

“Yes, exactly.” Yoshiya giggled, sounding just the same as ever even if his appearance had changed. “I figured you’d be too nervous to come in if you could see me, so I waited from a few frequencies up. Glad that my prediction was right, and this is where you decided to come.” Hotaru tried not to think too hard about the fact that he had been waiting for her. “But there’s no point in standing around and chatting like this. Sanae will bring everything out when it’s ready. Shall we take a seat?”

Not sure of what else to do, Hotaru nodded and followed Yoshiya to a table pressed against the wall. Even after standing in the air conditioning for a few minutes, the cool back of the chair was a welcome relief. Too bad Hotaru’s nerves were too frayed to enjoy it. She was busy watching Yoshiya, afraid he might vanish if she blinked.

 _You’re the one that wanted to come here. You’re the one that wanted answers._ She would have to talk at some point, and Yoshiya seemed more than content to let her make the first move. “I didn’t realize you could change your appearance like that, Yoshiya-san.” Even though she should have felt some sense of urgency, Hotaru couldn’t bring herself to ask what she’d come here for.

“Ah, yes, I decided to change up my form from the last time you saw me.” Brushing some of his hair away, Yoshiya couldn’t quite keep the amused glint out of his eyes. “I thought you might be a bit more comfortable if I didn’t look the exact same with so much time between. Is it too much?”

Though the question was rhetorical, Hotaru shook her head anyways. Now that she’d seen him like this, it might be more disconcerting to watch him shift back to the fifteen-year-old boy she’d first met him as. If she had to guess, he’d tweaked his age to be closer to hers. “Just unexpected. I…I didn’t think I’d be able to get back in touch with so easily.” _It’d be nice if it wasn’t this easy,_ part of her couldn’t help but think.

Yoshiya smirked like he knew exactly what was running through her mind. All things considered, he probably did. “Well, I would say this is a bit of a special occasion. After all, I didn’t get the chance to see you last time you came on holiday. Things were rather busy back then.”

Hotaru couldn’t quite come out and say that was because she’d decided to avoid him and anything that reminded her of the UG that time (not that she’d fully succeeded). “Game business?”

“Right on the money.” Hotaru couldn’t quite feel satisfied by the compliment. “We had a lot of changes on our end since your time in the Game. As the Composer, I’ve had my hands full, as you can expect. But now everything’s in order, so this makes the perfect time to have a chat with you, Hotaru-chan.”

“O-oh?”

Yoshiya nodded, still grinning like he was the only one in on a private joke. “While the premise is still the same, we’ve adjusted a bit of how we run things in the Under Ground. I’ve mostly been focusing on ways to keep Shibuya in prime shape, and that’s involved shifting around some personnel and finding people suitable to fill in certain holes.”

Well, that all sounded nice and all— “But what does that have to do with me?” Hotaru had known coming into things that getting a straight answer would be difficult, but she was just a passenger on Yoshiya’s conversational train. He gave her a curious look, and Hotaru backpedaled a bit. “I mean, I’m glad that Shibuya’s going well, but I guess I don’t really get why it matters. Don’t most people who go back to the RG move on with their lives without worrying about that stuff?”

“Ah, I’m so glad you asked, Hotaru-chan. You see, I believe that Shibuya has something very much to do with you.”

Hotaru got the impression that Yoshiya wasn’t just talking about Shibuya being her home turf. She wanted to see if Hanekoma-san was coming yet, but she’d managed to get the seat facing the street, and looking over her shoulder for an out would be rude.

“As I said,” Yoshiya continued, looking as pleased as ever, “we’ve been working on shuffling around some personnel. There’s no sense in going into the details at this point, but I even decided to reinstate some optional positions Shibuya hasn’t seen in a while. The role of the Artist has its holder, which has been more than helpful a few times. Since that’s taken care of, I thought I’d take the opportunity to fill another missing hole.”

 _It’d be stupid to ask why he’s telling me this._ Hotaru didn’t quite think she was suitable for the role—even if she didn’t know what it was yet—but she could pick up on the context just fine. Trying not to show off too much of her nerves, Hotaru bunched her hands into her skirt instead of clinging to her pouch. “What kind of role is it?”

“The Muse.” Despite Yoshiya’s airy tone, Hotaru felt her chest tighten at the word. “Again, no sense in digging too far into things, but, as the Composer, I hold a Pact with Shibuya. The city itself is what ultimately contributes to my powers, and in turn I gain direct influence over the city.” With an easy smile, Yoshiya added, “In short, at least. However, while the city needs a Composer, there’s a sort of optional slot that can connect to both Shibuya and the Composer.”

Hotaru swallowed a lump forming in her throat. This wasn’t what she’d come here for at all. It would be best to nip this one in the bud before it got any worse. “Yoshiya-san, I don’t think I—” She had almost expected an immediate counter, but Yoshiya was letting her take the field, if only for a short time. “I don’t claim to understand much about the UG, but I’m not really suited for anything like that, let alone something that has to do with Shibuya itself.”

“Nonsense, Hotaru-chan. You managed to not only survive the Reaper’s Game, but you crossed the threshold of points to come back to life. Not everyone can do that.” At last, Yoshiya’s gaze relented as his eyes flicked upwards. “Yes, thank you, Sanae.”

The scuffle of sandals across the floor soon followed by Hanekoma-san’s voice confirmed the man’s presence. “Sorry about that, needed to brew some fresh beans for ya.” Hotaru accepted her coffee with a _thank you_ and tried not to grip onto the cup too hard. It didn’t matter how impressive Yoshiya played it; she was the only one who’d come back from that Game, and she hated it. The memories brought a nasty taste to her mouth, and Hotaru took a drink even though the coffee was still steaming.

The drink burnt her tongue, and she still didn’t feel any better.

“Hope you enjoy there,” Hanekoma-san said, placing two plates of pie onto the table. Hotaru had almost forgotten she’d ordered one. Yoshiya took a much more measured sip of his own coffee, the steam briefly clouding the lenses of his glasses. Even with his load distributed and the tray tucked under his elbow, Hanekoma-san didn’t retreat, instead giving Hotaru an almost sympathetic look. “I take it Josh here’s already decided to bring up the whole Muse deal?”

Great, so Hanekoma-san had been in on it, too. Trying not to balk at the idea of being outnumbered, Hotaru let the warmth of the coffee mug spill into the tips of her fingers. “The basics, if nothing else,” she said.

“Hmm.” Hanekoma-san held his free hand to the back of his neck. “Don’t go holding out on the young lady there, Josh. If you’re going to ask a favor, the least you can do is give her the whole picture.”

Yoshiya sighed with a bit more dramatic flair than would ever be necessary. “Way to steal my thunder, Sanae, very much appreciated.” Hanekoma-san opened his mouth, but Yoshiya waved him off. “Yes, yes, I remember our prior conversation just fine. Hotaru-chan,” he said, and she snapped back to attention despite herself, “based on what I saw in your Game, I think you have the potential to fill this position. There hasn’t been a Muse in any of Tokyo’s wards for a while, and I think it would do us some good.”

There we went again, trying to distract her with another topic. “And I’m telling you that I’m not qualified for something like that,” she said, managing to keep her voice steady.

“And I’m telling _you_ that refining your Soul through a successful week in the Under Ground is an excellent start.”

Hotaru glanced to Hanekoma-san, hoping for some sort of readily available counter. Too bad he just gave her an apologetic smile. “He’s not wrong there, Firefly.”

“See? I’m not the only one.” Trying to give herself any sort of excuse to stay out of it, Hotaru picked up her fork and scooted her pie closer. While it was a picturesque slice with an artful dab of whipped cream on top, Hotaru cut off a bite, almost smearing the orange filling across her plate. “Of course, it takes a little bit more than a winning Reaper’s Game to be suitable. Tell me, Hotaru-chan, what’s it been like coming back to Shibuya? In comparison to where you were, I mean.”

While it wasn’t too shocking that he knew she had left, there was at least some relief knowing that he didn’t have an idea where she’d been the past two years. Even so, Hotaru took her time swallowing, but there wasn’t too much she could do to procrastinate on answering with Yoshiya staring at her like that.

“I…” she tried, faltering out on the first word. Just what kind of answer did he even want? Closing her eyes, Hotaru tried to do nothing but remember what being in Shibuya felt like, how the world around would sing poetry to her in a song she never heard anywhere else. “Shibuya is really vibrant. There’s a pulse to it. And I mean, I can write poetry anywhere, but it’s different when it’s here. I never want to stop.”

There was nothing but the faint background music playing, and then Hotaru managed to remember where she was. She looked down to the table immediately upon opening her eyes, an unrelenting heat burning in her cheeks. She’d only ever been able to talk so openly about things like that with Chou.

_Nee-chan._

“As I thought,” Yoshiya said, taking full advantage of Hotaru’s pause. “Based on the way your Soul happens to resonate here, a little bit more refinement would be enough for you to help amplify the frequency of Shibuya in the right position.” _Refinement?_ “I mean, that’s just my assessment as the Composer, but feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong, Sanae.”

“No, you’re right,” Hanekoma-san said, with a faint trace of reluctant allowance. “I thought you might have just been making a wild guess, since it’s been some time, but I can tell like this. Ah, not to talk about you like you’re not here, Firefly.” _The way they’re saying that, though…_

“Excellent.” In a move that seemed both elegant and like a blatant disregard for manners, Yoshiya gestured with his fork. “The way you happen to feel more inspired in Shibuya than anywhere else is because you feel connected to the city itself, Hotaru-chan. It’s not quite like a Soul Revel, but that sort of connection to the UG is rather rare, which is why I think you’re suited to become our Muse. I propose—”

“A game, right?” Hotaru said, already knowing how that sentence would end. She’d heard it before, after all. For a fraction of a second, she could see Yoshiya’s smug expression waver at the bitterness echoing in her tone. Hotaru scowled a bit. “No, I’m sorry, we’re talking about _the_ Game here. Even if I did agree to this, it would take a Game, wouldn’t it?”

Yoshiya toyed a bit with a lock of his hair. “As much as I would prefer otherwise, yes—”

“And just what’s so important that I have to go through that again?” The Game was meant to refine Soul and give its Players a chance to expand on their worlds—and it had. But it had also been some of the worst days of Hotaru’s life, barring the day that she’d entered the UG in the first place. Against the edge of the table, it was easy to see that her hands were shaking. “I get it, not anyone can be the Muse. Fine. I just so happen to be that person. _Fine._ But you’ve made it for who knows how long without me, Yoshiya-san. Unless—unless Shibuya’s falling apart at the seams, I don’t see why this is necessary.”

Hotaru tried to muster the best glare she could, tried to emulate the way Chou would never back down against something she didn’t agree with. Hotaru couldn’t make out the look in Yoshiya’s eyes through the lenses of his glasses, but his arms had gone to rest at his sides. Considering that he hadn’t automatically jumped onto her words, it seemed that Shibuya was safe.

_So then I shouldn’t feel guilty for wanting to stay alive._

“You’re right, this is a lot to ask,” Hanekoma-san said, and Yoshiya gave him a look that was asking just whose side the barista was on. “We could keep Shibuya running the same way we always have, and it wouldn’t be too much of an issue. But the point is that Josh there doesn’t want to do things the same way as always.”

“I almost gave up on Shibuya once,” Yoshiya said, a thoughtful frown on his face. “But I realized that it’s worth more than I gave it credit for. I don’t plan to make the same mistake again, but I would like to give the city the best chance possible. If we have a Muse in addition to the Artist, then we can bring out a lot more of Shibuya’s potential than I could manage on my own.”

Hotaru had been sipping from her coffee (which was at a much more palatable temperature), and she almost choked on her drink. _What in the world happened these past two years?_ Yoshiya sounded almost humble—and even more, it sounded genuine. Maybe it was the lens of time clouding her memories, but she didn’t recall him ever acting so unconfident in his own powers.

Hanekoma-san shifted his weight, holding the edge of the tray against his side. “You’re right that you’d have to play the Reaper’s Game again. Well, technically, it’d be a Muse Game, so slightly different rules, but you’re familiar enough with the rough concept.”

“And you wouldn’t be alone,” Yoshiya said before Hotaru could protest. “The Muse and the Composer are supposed to work together. I’d be your Partner. And…” His words had almost been hurried before, but they slowed as his voice quieted. “If you agreed, Hotaru-chan, I’d make your entry peaceful. Not like last time.”

Hotaru stopped short of picking back up her fork, deciding to leave it be. Biting into anything, even if it was to eat, didn’t seem like the best idea at the moment.

Actually, none of it seemed like the best idea. Playing the Reaper’s Game again, even if it was for a different purpose? She hadn’t wanted to do anything like that again. As much as she was grateful for her second chance at life, part of Hotaru still wished she’d slipped away into the dark, rather than get the opportunity to mess everything up. She’d only come out of that Game victorious because Chou had been there for her, and even then she’d—

“Nee-chan,” she said, at last voicing the question she’d been wanting to ask, “is she still there? In the UG?” Chou hadn’t come back to life, or Hotaru would have known about it. Whether or not Chou had just failed to win her next Game or she had chosen a different path, Hotaru hadn’t had the courage to check.

“Oh, Butterfly Girl?” Hanekoma-san asked, cupping his stubble dotted chin in his free hand. “I haven’t seen her in a while, but as far as I know, she’s still in the UG.” He tossed his hand in the air in a half sort of shrug. “Of course, I tend to focus on the Players more, so I don’t know all the details. Josh?”

Yoshiya nodded, some of the smugness easing back into his expression. “Ah, yes, she managed to find her niche in the Reapers.” Hotaru couldn’t help the sigh of relief from spilling out of her lips. It didn’t the entire two years’ worth of weight from her shoulders, but it did dash away her greatest fear. “Then again, I only know the basics. She hasn’t quite been jumping at the chance to have a friendly chat with me.”

Hotaru breathed out a laugh. That wasn’t surprising to her in the least. If nothing else, Chou had found a way to live since then—as much as one could call it that. Hotaru wiped away the tears forming in her eyes. _If you can be strong enough for that, Nee-chan, then I…_

“This Muse,” she said, voice miraculously not wavering, “it has to be me? You’re certain about that?”

Hanekoma-san and Yoshiya exchanged a glance, the latter looking pleased by the conclusion. “If we’re being technical, you don’t _have_ to do it,” Yoshiya said, tapping his fingers against the edge of the table. “But, yes, you’re the prime candidate. It’s rare for someone to have such a connection to a city, let alone be in a position where their Soul has enough room for growth to come into a complete Pact with its Composer.” He smiled. “I’d hate to waste the opportunity.”

Hotaru hated the way she was considering it. The Composer as her partner or no, did she want to go through that again? Did she want to fight for her life through a whole week? Did she want to risk everything one more time?

But she couldn’t deny the way Shibuya felt so different from anywhere else.

Even without a pencil and paper at hand, the words still came to her, stirred in the back of her mind. They city was art to her, and she had a place in the song. And somewhere inside Hotaru, a naïve little part of her that hadn’t faded since her first Game was glad that Yoshiya had asked her.

“When would it be?” she asked, and she held up a hand at Yoshiya’s near triumphant expression. “I’ll think about it, that’s all. When do you need an answer by?”

From the way the look on his face didn’t waver, Yoshiya seemed to think that response was as good enough as a confirmation. “The next cycle of the Game is happening three days from now,” he said, folding his hands on the table. “Processing for a Muse Game is a bit different, but the sooner the better is a general rule. To make sure we don’t have any delays, it would be best if you decided by tomorrow night.”

That didn’t seem like nearly enough time. “You’re free to think it over, kay?” Hanekoma-san said, patting her shoulder. “If you do decide to play, just come back to WildKat. We’ll take care of things for you, no problem.”

“I… Thank you.” What else was she supposed to say? Even though she trusted Hanekoma-san, it didn’t change the fact that they were basically saying they’d take care of killing her without a hassle. The aroma of the house blend drifted towards her nose, but her appetite had long been squelched by the turn in conversation. “Sorry, Hanekoma-san, would I be able to get these to go? I’d like to go home for now.”

“You got it, Firefly. Let’s get you sorted out.” Hanekoma-san wasted no time in brandishing his tray anew, swiftly moving the half-consumed pie and coffee from the table without spilling a single drop. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Hotaru gave another _thank you_ as he left—and then she realized that it was just her and Yoshiya at the table again. He finished the rest of his coffee and let out a contented sigh. “Well, I suppose that takes care of my business here,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll be seeing each other again soon. And…” Yoshiya stood from his seat, the chair scraping against the floor. “Thank you, Hotaru-chan. For hearing me out.”

If Hotaru had blinked, she would have missed the moment where he vanished; as things were, she managed to watch Yoshiya slip out of existence as he tuned himself back into the UG—one second there, the next gone. He’d left his coffee cup behind, but Yoshiya’s own half-eaten pie had vanished with him, seemingly important enough to make the trip into the UG.

Hotaru’s hands twitched, and she grasped onto her pin pouch again, trying to ignore the burst of inspiration that talking with Yoshiya had given her.

* * *

Tendo Suzumebachi wasn’t a stranger to the Room of Reckoning, but it had been several years since she’d stepped foot in it. Back then, the vast space had been shining in a brilliant white light, presenting a welcoming atmosphere for the Players who had made it so far. In the present, their dearest Composer hadn’t seemed to think the gesture was necessary, as a blackness hung overhead, only revealing the towers of the room that flanked the throne of Shibuya.

And on that damn throne sat none other than the Composer himself.

From the entrance, Suzume narrowed her eyes at the entity. Considering he was easily the brightest thing around, it was hard to make out his body language from a distance. All she got was the faint outline of a person, but it was easy enough to guess that he was lounging, more than likely with that condescending smirk on his face. Suzume could remember well enough because she hadn’t allowed herself to forget.

Coincidentally, she hadn’t allowed herself to forgive, either.

“Don’t be such a stranger,” the Composer called, his voice easily reaching across the room. Though it was a few pitches deeper than she remembered, there wasn’t any mistake. “I invited you here personally. You don’t have to act out of any sense of respect now.” Something that sounded like a giggle vibrated through the air. “It doesn’t suit you, dear.”

Suzume scoffed, tossing some of her messy swamp colored hair over her shoulder as she stepped proper into the Room of Reckoning. Against the vast space, her footsteps turned into faint echoes. “Don’t call me that.”

The Composer cocked his head at her. “Darling, then?”

“Bite me.”

“What do you expect when you won’t let me call you—”

As she came to a halt, Suzume stopped her boot on the floor with a satisfying slam. “Just call me Tendo or Suzume like everyone else. Is that so damn hard?”

The Composer shrugged. Even though the brightness of his form made it difficult to read his expressions, Suzume could still pick out the traces of mock agitation as he bristled. “Suit yourself. We’re not here to talk about that, anyways.”

“Oh, so you do know how to get to the point.” Suzume crossed her arms, the thick material of her black and red double-breasted jacket providing a comforting yet rough texture underneath her fingertips. She didn’t bother concealing the growl from her voice. “Just what was so important that you couldn’t send the Conductor to tell me?” Koizumi wasn’t exactly Suzume’s favorite type of person, but she was much more bearable than the one in front of her.

“Yutsui’s effective, but I don’t think she could convey this in the most effective way.” The Composer waved a hand, and a plush chair popped into existence behind Suzume. She almost kept standing out of principle, but the implication that the conversation would be a long one wasn’t lost on her, so she sat down in the thing anyways. Sounding pleased, the Composer said, “I have a proposal for you.”

Her elbow on the armrest, Suzume propped her cheek on her fist and crossed her legs. “Any day now, your Royal Pretentiousness.” With a new cycle of the Game about to start, she didn’t want to spend too much time out of the Processor’s Den, lest they fall behind. While she wasn’t too loyal to her position, it was never a good time if Ganabara worked himself into a tizzy.

“Very well, if you insist.” Suzume rolled her eyes, even if her messy bangs concealed most of the gesture. “What do you say about acting as the Game Master for this week?”

As her eyes grew wide, Suzume considered that it maybe wasn’t so bad her hair fell into her face. “Are you out of your mind?” she near shouted, sitting up from her noncommittal slouch. The Composer didn’t so much as balk. “Last I checked, GM was an Officer gig—and I have no intentions in helping you out by taking that role. What, Tanaka-san do something to upset you?”

“No, not in the slightest.” There was that damn laugh again. He probably decided to sound as obnoxious as possible to get under her skin. Too bad it worked. The faint traces of a smile formed on the Composer’s face. “We’re likely going to be running a slightly different Game this week. I thought I’d give you a shot.”

 _A shot at what exactly?_ she thought but didn’t voice the question. She knew better than to play word games with the Composer of all people. “Well, you thought wrong. Get someone else in your merry little upper ranks to fill in.”

“Ah, Suzume, I wasn’t even done yet. Would you really want to pass up the chance to be the GM when I’ll be one of the Players?”

That was enough to halt the next sarcastic remark that was about to come out of Suzume’s mouth. She looked over the Composer, trying to figure out if he was just messing with her. She hadn’t exactly kept her antipathy towards him quiet, and he had to know that Suzume wouldn’t hesitate to screw him over if she had the capacity to. If what he was saying was true, then she’d pretty much be in the position where she could Erase him.

“Hold up,” she said, trying to reign in her own thoughts. There had to be a catch. With this bastard, there was always a catch. “When you say you’ll be one of the Players, you don’t mean like that stunt you pulled last year, do you?” Suzume didn’t know all the details, but she had become intimately familiar with the piles of Processing work that had come from that three week game. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat, even if she could potentially be in a more active field position instead of locked up in the Den.

_Of course, two of those GMs got erased and one of them isn’t even an Officer anymore. That’s even more of a pain in the ass._

“No, it’s not like last year,” the Composer said. While that was one less thing Suzume had to worry about, it still had plenty of exploitable openings. “Considering that you’re relatively new to the UG, I doubt you’d have heard of what I’m planning to do. It’s called a Muse Game.”

As much as Suzume would have liked to say that she did know what he was talking about, the words didn’t ring any bells. Only one thing mattered, anyways. “And this requires you to become a Player.”

“Yes, and a legitimate one at that.”

Suzume harrumphed. “Excuse me if it doesn’t seem fair to have the Composer of Shibuya running around in his own Game.” There was a reason Suzume hadn’t decided to outright throttle the Composer upon seeing him; she knew how ridiculously overpowered he could be.

But the Composer simply brushed the concern off with a wave of his hand. “Well, I won’t be operating at full capacity. Because of the parameters of the Muse Game, I’ll have a restricted portion of my powers…at least from the start,” he added at Suzume’s growing interest. She schooled her face back into a glower before she left herself anymore open. “If things go as they should, I’ll start to build up to my full capacity as the Composer by the end of the week.”

“Assuming that you make it to the end of the week,” Suzume said before she could think the words through. A full-powered Composer was one thing, but a dampened one while she had access to the capacity of a GM? That was much more likely, and a lot could happen in seven days—she knew that. The smugness radiating off the Composer was almost enough to choke on. “How much of a handicap will you be going in with?”

“Well, I’ll be at a much closer state to someone who’s survived the Game a few times. That’s not the most accurate representation, but something to that end—let’s say, the power I was at before I became the Composer.” Yeah, she didn’t have any context for that, seeing as that was way before Suzume’s mother had been born, let alone her. At least, if the rumors were any indication. Still, he’d be powerful enough to put up a decent fight— _but not impossible to take down._ “I’ll also be sure to grant you a lovely promotion package before I go. We couldn’t have a GM without a Noise form to put up a fight, now could we?”

If Ganabara had been there, he’d be spouting warnings about how the offer was a shoddy one—not enough supply and demand to balance the market, or some nonsense. As things were, Suzume had to agree; the Composer had set things up to be far too convenient for her. She wouldn’t have put it past him to be planning on Erasing _her_ once they got into the field, just for being stupid enough to fall for his lies.

Suzume steadied her mind and leaned back in her seat, the plush back pressing against her spine in welcoming comfort. “Alright, you royal pain in the ass, I’ll bite,” she said, looking the Composer dead in the eyes (or as close as she could manage, with his bright and blurred features). “This all sounds peachy for me. So what the fuck’s in it for you?”

“An excellent question, dear.” The only reason Suzume didn’t object to the stupid pet name was because she had zero patience for another tangent. The Composer waved his hand, and the Room of Reckoning around them melded into a Shibuya street, complete with pedestrians in all colors and brands of fashion. If it weren’t for the lack of sound, Suzume would have thought he’d transported them up from the Shibuya River. “The Muse Game has the potential to help Shibuya grow, to better itself. Since we happen to have all the pieces in place, I want to give it that chance.”

Though the Composer had glanced up to the azure pseudo-sky above them, Suzume still raised her eyebrow. “Just because you spout off like you’ve got some noble cause doesn’t mean I’m going to sympathize with you or anything.”

“You misunderstand,” the Composer said, with all the placating tone of a parent correcting their child. “A Muse Game hasn’t happened for a while, and not everyone’s going to be happy that I’m trying to resurrect it. In fact, I expect some opposition, some complaints that I might be rigging things in my favor, you see?”

“And you don’t trust Tanaka-san to be an impartial judge?” Suzume may have still been young in UG terms, but she knew their current GM well enough to understand that Tanaka Renkuko was easily one of the most honor-bound of the Officer Reaper ranks.

“That’s the problem: Ren is _too_ perfect of an impartial judge.” The Composer flicked his hand through the air, and the projection of Shibuya melded back into the darkness. “If we’re going to have any luck at getting acceptance for a Muse Game, it needs to be under the most unfavorable conditions possible, with a GM who doesn’t want me to succeed at anything.” The grin on his face was visible beneath the layers of light. “Now, goodness, who might that sound like?”

“Fair enough,” Suzume said, trying to meter out her words. Still, she couldn’t help but place one fist in the opposite palm out of excitement. “So let me make this clear: you’re not gonna start whining if I manage to whup your ass as a Player, are you?”

When the Composer giggled, Suzume was too thrilled to even consider feeling annoyed. “If you manage to do that, you won’t hear any complaints from me. Just do try to give me a fighting chance, will you?”

Suzume barked out a laugh at his sarcasm. “Oh, trust me, I’ll give you about as much of a chance as you gave me.” As he’d given _them_. Suzume pulled herself up from her seat. “I take it we’re done here? I have a Game to plan.”

“Ah, yes, you do have a rather tight deadline, don’t you?” Suzume performed an about face, the armchair already gone from her path as she strode toward the exit. “The next time we meet, it’ll be on the streets of Shibuya. I expect you to use these three days to come up with a good show for me, alright?”

She didn’t pay attention to his voice or even stop for thought once she stepped back into the graffiti splattered walls of the Trail of the Judged. There wasn’t any time for hesitation.

_Just you wait, Kiryu. For once in your obnoxious life, you’re going to get what you deserve._

* * *

**[Nine Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

Three Days Prior Bonus Episode

“Lecture & Payment”

* * *

Hanekoma Sanae finished swapping Hotaru’s house blend into a to-go cup, packed up her pie into a container, checked that Amber was doing alright in the kitchen, then headed back out to the main storefront of WildKat. He gave Hotaru a few reassurances that she could come back anytime—even if she decided against trying to become the Muse—then sent her off on her way home. As the door shut, the bell jangled once again, almost telling the store’s guest goodbye.

And Sanae looked back to the figure of Joshua, still sitting in his space at the table and finishing off the last few bites of his own pie. If Sanae couldn’t innately sense it on its own, the fact that Hotaru hadn’t talked to Josh on the way out indicated that he’d tuned himself back up a few frequencies. Once finished with the dessert, Josh sat down the dishes, the fork tinkling against the now empty plate.

“Do tell our precious Artist that she’s gotten quite good at baking for me, will you Sanae?” Josh said with that grin of his that only meant trouble—or at least some mischief—was in the future. And while Sanae knew at least this time was much better than the year before, he still wasn’t quite in the mood or casual banter. Josh pouted, the expression looking strange on a face that the Composer himself had never lived long enough to properly age into. “My, you’re looking unusually serious today. I wasn’t lying when I told you that I remembered our previous conversation.” It was nice to know that, despite all his flippant behavior, Josh did at least listen sometimes.

Still, Sanae kept his stern his expression, not letting the sigh stirring inside him blow out of his lips. It was never a good idea to let Josh know you were frustrated with him. “Oh yeah? Then what about the conversation you had with the young lady there?”

Josh held his hand right under his chin, looking mildly curious. “I’m not sure I like your implication, Sanae. I didn’t lie to Hotaru-chan once in that whole conversation.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t tell her the whole truth, either.”

Josh’s carefully crafted expression faltered a bit, but it was more than enough for Sanae, who had known Shibuya’s Composer for decades, to pick up on. “Hotaru-chan doesn’t need to worry about those things. If I mentioned it, I can only imagine her refusing because it would get me in trouble. You can’t tell me that wouldn’t be a waste.”

Sanae let himself slip into the empty chair across from Josh. Considering that they _had_ talked about this before, it wouldn’t do much good to reiterate the same old paths again. Josh may have pushed the conventions around him to extremes at times, but he _did_ understand what could happen. “So what will you do if she refuses anyway?” Sanae asked instead. “She wasn’t exactly jumping at the chance.”

Josh tucked a bit of his hair aside with a giggle. “What makes you think she’s going to refuse?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly give her the best timeframe to work with.” Not that that was entirely Josh’s fault, but it was still a factor. “And, well, if I had to say, it’s because you gave her the choice.” Not in the way that he’d recruited Neku to be the Proxy or created Amber to serve as a form of a certain Fallen Angel’s punishment, but an actual conscious choice.

“Oh?” Something flickered across Josh’s eyes for a moment, but it seemed that he wasn’t quite thinking along the same lines as Sanae. “Well, I suppose it is a bit different than before, but I’d like to call it a hunch if nothing else. It would be rather silly if I couldn’t tell that much about my potential Muse, now wouldn’t it? Yes, she’s hesitant, but her Soul is much more resilient than she seems to recognize she is.”

Sanae raised an eyebrow. “And because of that you think she’s going to say yes?”

“She came back this far, didn’t she?” Josh crossed his arms, slipping into that contemplating frown of his. “I’ll admit, I’m not entirely certain. But if nothing else, you can call that feeling hope. After all, the Muse Game won’t work out well in my favor so long as she isn’t willing, let alone the resulting Pact with the city. I supposed if I really wanted to push things in my favor, I could’ve left an Imprint on her, but that’s part of why you’re watching out for me, now isn’t it?” _Not that I intended to do such a thing,_ Josh added, almost like an afterthought.

The two looked at each other for several moments, one of their usual lulls in conversation where they tried to decipher what the other’s intentions were before making the next move. But Sanae didn’t have too much of an end goal he was going for; he and Josh were on the same side in this matter, after all. They wanted to better Shibuya.

Sanae held a hand to the back of his neck. “So long as you remember what’s really important here, Josh. That’s all I’m asking for this time.”

“Glad to hear it, Sanae,” Josh said, going back to looking like that mischief maker all over again. “With that in mind, though, I did have a favor to ask you to take care of…”

“Sure thing, but before you go ahead and make yourself owe me more than you already do.” Sanae grinned and stretched out an open palm across the table to Josh. “You were being kind enough to cover you and the young lady, right? 2060 yen.”

For the first time since Josh had appeared WildKat that day, his expression dropped into a grimace. Grumbling something under his breath that Sanae decided it was best to pretend like he hadn’t heard, Josh handed over his yen.


	3. Two Days Prior  “Hesitation & Melody”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

Two Days Prior

“Hesitation & Melody”

* * *

One day had passed into the next, but Hotaru still sat hunched over her clipboard, scribbling out characters on the paper. Yes, she’d gotten some rest and ate as necessary, but the rest of the time she’d retreated to her room to work. Numerous other sheets of paper sat on the bed around her, their surfaces covered in pencil markings, and lead smeared over Hotaru’s palms.

Finishing marking down the rough concept for another poem, Hotaru dropped her pencil and stretched out her fingers. The wave of ideas hadn’t let up in the slightest, but she was forming a fresh cramp again, and she needed to take care of herself. Stretching out her legs and leaning backwards, Hotaru let her head bump up against the wall. Without her clip, her hair tickled the back of her neck and shifted against her shoulders.

Her room at home was simple, with a bed against one wall and a desk pressed up against the other. Bookshelves and a dresser took up the rest of the space, with and posters hanging up in their bold colors. The sun streamed in from the window, already starting to dip towards afternoon. Despite everything in the room, it still felt like too large a space, still felt empty.

In the space of the past two years, her parents had insisted on clearing out the extra furniture that had once been Chou’s. Her clothes and even her bass had ultimately found their way into new places, with new owners. Hotaru refused to let them get rid of Chou’s CD collection or her song drafts, even if Hotaru didn’t use them herself. It was too painful for her to let the traces of Chou disappear, though she understood it must’ve hurt her parents to remember the daughter they’d lost.

_If I go back to the UG…will they get rid of my things, too?_

Pressing her non-lead smeared hand to her eyes, Hotaru shook her head. She couldn’t be seriously considering it. Losing Chou had near broken their family apart; what would Hotaru disappearing do? While Hanekoma-san seemed to live a life that intersected both the UG and the RG, Chou hadn’t returned, even upon becoming a Reaper. What if Hotaru just wound up leaving her parents alone?

_I don’t want to do that._

Trying to give herself space to think, Hotaru pushed her work aside and spread herself out on what expanse of the bed she could without crumpling any papers. Her elbow thrummed as the muscles stretched out, and her fingers insisted on curling back into the position to hold a pencil. There were just too many words racing around her brain, and they all wanted out. When she closed her eyes from the view of the ceiling, it was almost as if she could hear a song playing from somewhere in the distance, even though the world was quiet.

“What do you want from me?” she asked it in a whisper. “Why can’t I get you out of my head?” She almost suspected that, no matter how many words she wrote and melded into poems, they would never be enough.

The song didn’t quiet, nor did it grow louder. It just continued playing, unhindered, too soft to be annoying but to loud for her to ignore. When she tried to listen to the melody closer, she didn’t get anywhere, instead having strings of words flash into her mind.

Frustrated, Hotaru pushed herself up from the bed with a huff and crossed the room to her desk. She’d brought her materials for summer homework along, but she’d powered through the assignments in the first week. And for what? If she agreed to Yoshiya’s Game, agreed to attempt to become the Muse, none of that effort would matter, because to the rest of the world she’d be dead—

Hotaru yanked open one of her desk drawers, unveiling an old set of headphones and a portable CD player. The design was basic silver, but you could only see patches of its original color beneath the stickers and decals Chou had plastered all over the surface. She’d crammed a menagerie of band logos and adhesive music notes to the surface, with the central mark a large butterfly sticker. Some of the stickers were worn, their edges starting to lose color, but they did their job well enough.

Hoping the batteries hadn’t run dry in her absence, Hotaru poked at the power button. The screen it up a few seconds later, and Hotaru pressed play. In response, sound jumped from the connected headphones, still sitting in the drawer. Hotaru retrieved them and slipped them over her ears, the almost overpowering sound consuming her.

Chou was the type that would listen to almost anything, but she had an undeniable penchant for rock and grunge. More than once, their mother had reminded her not to listen to music too loud, but Chou had long since accumulated to the volume. Hotaru couldn’t say the same about herself, her ears complaining at the powerful melody of the guitars as they vibrated through the headphones, but she didn’t turn the volume down, for the same exact reason that she hadn’t ever once opened the CD player despite turning it on several times.

Because this was the last CD Chou had chosen to listen to.

Maybe it didn’t mean much since neither of them had known they were going to die that summer. Maybe it meant less because Chou was still out there in the UG. But Hotaru liked to think and imagine anyways, tried to imagine what her sister had been thinking when she’d popped the CD in, cranked up the volume, and sang to herself.

Since she’d never opened the player to see, Hotaru didn’t know who the band was or what any of their songs were called. What she did know where the lyrics, though, and the way the voice of the female vocalist singing her heart out reminded Hotaru of Chou.

_If I played the Muse Game, would you be upset at me, Nee-chan? Would you think I was being stupid, even if it was for a good reason?_

Hotaru didn’t know if she had a good reason just yet, but she might have one. Shibuya had been the only place she’d ever felt such a vibrant, burning urge to create within her. Did other people feel like that when they came to the city? Did it inspire others as much as it inspired her?

_Could I be a part of that?_

“…aru?”

The faint voice of someone speaking managed to break through her thoughts and the headphones, pulling Hotaru back to reality. She pulled the headset down to her neck and turned to the door. Her mother stood there, changed into more causal home clothes than the work ensemble Hotaru had seen her off in that morning. She’d let her dark hair down as well, but worry still shifted her expression for a moment; Tsukiko Hana may have aged with grace, but there were still faint traces of wrinkles forming in her brow.

“We called but you didn’t answer,” her mother said, and Hotaru couldn’t even form a simple apology, let alone explain why she’d been so distracted. The sound of the music still slipped into the air anyways. “Your father’s almost done with dinner. Would you help me set the table?”

“Sure, Mom, I’ll be right out.” Making sure she smiled, Hotaru pressed the stop button and tried to be as discreet as possible while putting the CD player back into the drawer. Her mother nodded, then excused herself back to the kitchen. Unhooking the headphones from her neck, Hotaru put those away, too, before shutting the door.

“What in the world am I even thinking?” she muttered.

She couldn’t just leave her parents. Not when they were still hurting like that.

* * *

Despite what she told herself, Hotaru still found herself staring at a blank sheet of paper, trying to find the right words to put down.

Her parents had long since gone to bed, but Hotaru still sat up at her desk, rolling a pencil between her fingers. Unlike all the poems she had written over the past few days, it was a struggle to find the right way to word things. In the lamplight, it was hard to focus. Still, she needed to do it.

She couldn’t just disappear without warning.

Hotaru hadn’t decided on whether to accept Yoshiya’s offer or not yet. But she did want to ask a few more questions, see if she could get a better handle on the situation. She wanted to talk to Hanekoma-san, learn what else she could. But with the supposed deadline being tonight, if she went and decided to play, she wouldn’t get the chance to come back and explain where she was going.

So she’d decided to write a letter, just in case.

Too bad the words weren’t coming to her. There was no good way to explain that she might be leaving to die again, that there was a chance she wouldn’t come back to this apartment ever again. Hotaru had had a hard enough time discussing the Reaper’s Game with previous Players, let alone her parents who had no idea. As far as they were concerned, she and Chou had been kidnapped, and it was only luck that Hotaru had survived.

Shaking her head, Hotaru slapped her hands to her cheeks and let out a long breath. She was overthinking it. Carefully planning out her words had never done her any good. She wrote from the heart—that was what Chou always said. Why was she trying to change that now?

With the decision made, Hotaru allowed herself to write without thinking. She poured her feelings onto the paper, at least trying to keep her characters organized enough to read. She apologized the best she could, explained that there was a friend she needed to help, and asked for forgiveness since she was going to disappear again.

 _But no matter how long I’m gone, I promise I’ll come back._ Muse or not, she wouldn’t be gone forever.

With that promise on paper, Hotaru added a few more lines, left the note on the kitchen table, clipped her hair up, slung her bag over her shoulders, and slipped out the door as quietly as she could.

* * *

It may have been the middle of summer, but the night air still had a faint chill to it. That didn’t stop Shibuya from thriving, though, the neon lights still flashing through the dark. Hotaru tugged her gloves over as much of her arms as possible and tried not to look like a lost child as she headed back towards the CAT Street. It was late enough to be past curfew for most minors, and she didn’t want any police officers to notice and escort her back home.

 _Imagine that. Not being able to help Yoshiya-san because of a curfew._ Hotaru smothered her nervous giggle into her palm as she quickly crossed the streets. She couldn’t imagine Yoshiya letting something as simple as human law enforcement get in his way, but it was silly nonetheless. Of course, that was assuming that Hotaru really did accept his offer.

_If I’m out wandering around at night like this, doesn’t that mean I’ve made up my mind?_

Ignoring the thought, Hotaru clutched onto her messenger bag’s strap and pressed forward. Only a few stores here and there were still open, with most buildings only illuminated by the dim glow of security lights. The same seemed to be true of WildKat as she approached, not that there would be much business if it were open. Hotaru tapped the toe of her sneaker against the sidewalk, trying to see if there was any movement inside. Not sure what else to do, she gripped the door handle and gave it a light tug.

The door didn’t give, instead caught by the latch of the lock. Hotaru frowned a bit, trying to figure out what else to do. Maybe she had been too liberal in interpreting Hanekoma-san’s offer to come over when she needed to. It _was_ rather late.

Just as the was considering knocking on the door (she really didn’t want to, lest she smudge the glass), there was a flicker of movement from the back. A shape that looked too short to be Hanekoma-san emerged, almost scrambling towards the door. In the dark, Hotaru could just make out a length of pale colored hair as it reflected what little light it could.

The figure wasted no time in coming up to the door and fumbling with a key. Soon enough, the door was open, a few faint gasps of exertion spilling from the other girl’s mouth. “Sorry, sorry,” she said, her voice a clear and beautiful pitch, if not a little drowsy. “I didn’t realize you were out here. I woulda come sooner…”

Still too flustered by the sudden appearance of another girl about her age, Hotaru could only offer a weak “No, no, it’s fine.” What else was she supposed to say when it looked like the girl had rushed to the door in her pajamas? “Um, I’m here to see—”

“You’re here for Uncle H, right?” Hotaru’s mouth froze halfway through her next words. She hadn’t known Hanekoma-san had a niece—but then again how much did she really know about the man other than the fact that he helped Players in the Reaper’s Game? “He said you’d be here, so you’re welcome to come in. Hotaru-chan, right?”

“Ah, yes, that’s me.” She dipped her head by way of short introduction. Despite being strangers, Hotaru couldn’t help but feel somewhat comfortable. The other girl just had that sort of atmosphere around her, pristine and relaxing, like a song of her own. “Sorry for the intrusion,” Hotaru said, stepping inside the dimly lit shop.

Within a matter of moments, the other girl had swiftly locked up the front again. “Alright, you can follow me into the back. Uncle said you’re free to make yourself at home.” First they stepped through the kitchen, with its stove, oven, and multitude of coffeemakers, but Hotaru didn’t have much time to appreciate the surroundings as they had soon entered a small loft that seemed around the same size as the Tsukiko family’s apartment. The girl pulled a pair of white headphones away from her neck, setting them aside. “Oh, I’m Hanekoma Amber, by the way. As you might’ve guessed, Uncle H is, well, my uncle.”

Amber at last turned around, the cozy lamplight of the loft finally giving enough light to see her clearly. It took a few moments, but the combination of the name and seeing her face registered a memory from Golden Week. While Hotaru had only then seen Amber for a short time in a photograph and the girl was no longer wearing her school uniform, it wasn’t hard to mistake the pale blonde shade of her hair so much like Yoshiya’s and the warm brown color of her eyes.

“You’re Rueban-san’s…Partner?” Hotaru asked, the last word almost stilling her tongue. Amber’s expression shifted to confusion, and Hotaru belatedly realized how awkward that sounded. “Sorry, I met him over Golden Week. He helped me find some poems I lost.” Hotaru had been there to help him find Amber, but she’d ran off the moment she realized their target had been a supposed relative of Hanekoma-san’s.

Thankfully, Amber took the non sequitur with grace. “Oh, yeah, I remember Rue saying something about that! Small world, huh?” Amber waved Hotaru towards a couch. “Well, might as well take a seat. Gimme a minute, I’ll whip up something to drink. Though I guess it’s too late for coffee, huh?”

Hotaru sunk down into the couch cushions, tugging her bag away from her shoulders. “Whatever you think is fine, Amber-san.”

“Coming right up, Boss.”

With her hair fluttering behind her, Amber slipped back towards the kitchen. Without much else to do, Hotaru examined the room around her. Rather than a living room, the space felt almost more like a lounge with its comfortable looking chairs spread about. On the walls hung some pieces of art in Hanekoma-san’s distinctive style, but there were also traces of the girl that lived there, too, with scattered CD cases out and about. On one of the armchairs sat a tossed aside blanket, the head of a stuffed cat sticking out from the top.

“Alright, I managed to find some weird decaf tea that Rueban brought over,” Amber said, coming back into the room. Two mugs of tea steamed in her hands, and Hotaru accepted the drink. Her cargo distributed, Amber near flopped back into the armchair nest. “It’s kinda bitter, so I added some sugar. Hope you don’t mind, Hotaru.”

“No, no worries.” Considering that she’d been mentally preparing herself to talk with Hanekoma-san, Hotaru wasn’t sure what she could say. Based on what Rueban had said, Amber had been a Player in the Reaper’s Game before, but that didn’t make it the best casual topic. At least Yoshiya hadn’t decided to pay a visit from the RG. “So, you said you’re Hanekoma-san’s niece?”

Amber nodded, tugging on the side of her tank top. “Yup, that’s Uncle H for you. I came to stay with him about last year.” Not one to pry, Hotaru nodded. “Of course, you’re here for UG stuff, right? I guess it would make sense to mention that I’m the Artist?”

“Um, a little?” Yoshiya had mentioned something like that, hadn’t he? It hadn’t been the highest item on her mental priority list. “I know it has something to do with the Game and…that you’re kind of new?” Amber smiled warmly, making part of Hotaru’s anxiety melt away. Picking at a fold in her gloves, Hotaru put on a more sheepish version of her own smile. “That’s about all I know, really.”

Amber shook her head. “That’s cool. It’s not like I’m as big of a deal as the Composer or something.” Unearthing the stuffed cat from the blanket pile, Amber took the toy’s paws in her own hands. “Basically, I’m meant to be a Player that enhances the others in the Game. It’s complicated, but...it’s something that my Soul can do, basically. I help other Players have a shot of succeeding in the Game, in growing.”

Even though they’d only been talking for fifteen minutes at best, Hotaru could see that. As a less social individual, it usually took Hotaru some time before she could warm up to someone, yet Amber had such an encouraging aura that didn’t require anything else.

 _She definitely has a song to her. One that’s ready to join in with others, while still being her own._ As a Partner, Amber would be someone you could trust, no matter what.

“I don’t suppose you’d happen to know anything about the Muse, now do you?” Hotaru asked, even though it was a long shot. She wouldn’t be able to do what Amber could do, but Yoshiya hadn’t asked for that. It just didn’t help that Yoshiya had only given so much information about what he _was_ asking for. “I know the rough details, but I really wanted the chance to talk to Hanekoma-san before taking things further…” Hotaru tilted her head, waiting for an answer.

Against her hopes, Amber’s face shifted into a slight frown. “Sorry, Uncle didn’t tell me too much, either. I know that you’re supposed to play a Game with the Composer and that it has something to do with the higher level Reapers, but that’s about it. I’m not actually going to be playing this time. Sorry I can’t be much help.”

“No, no, that’s fine,” Hotaru found herself saying again. She hadn’t expected much of a response anyways. Allowing herself to sip at her tea at last (it seemed that Amber hadn’t been kidding about adding sugar), Hotaru tried to relax further back into the couch. “If you don’t mind me asking, though, what made you want to become the Artist, Amber-san?”

“Hm, me?” Amber continued to play with her stuffed cat, almost swaying to some music that only they could hear. “I guess, like…the Reaper’s Game isn’t always easy. Not everyone makes it through.” Hotaru hid her grimace in her teacup, even though Amber wasn’t really looking at her. “But if they grow, people can make it. They can survive to the end and get the second chance they want. So since I could help with that, I decided to. Because I could make a difference.”

It was a simple answer, but Hotaru could tell that it was genuine – no deception, no filters. Considering how hesitant Hotaru was in comparison, it was downright admirable. It was that sort of determination that had always made Chou so amazing.

“But what about you, Hotaru?” Amber asked, her gentle voice still carrying strength and confidence. Gripping onto the smooth sides of her teacup, Hotaru glanced up. “About being the Muse? Is it something that you want to do?”

“I’m…not sure? No, I think I might, but… I don’t know!” While she didn’t raise her voice much, Hotaru still thought that it sounded too loud in the otherwise relaxed room. “This came out of nowhere. And there’s no time to think. Part of me feels like I should do it—out of duty or something? Because Shibuya feels like home and I could help it? But I’m scared. Scared of screwing it up. Screwing up the Game like I did last time. What if I’m not fit to be the Muse? What if I can’t go home again?” At that, something in Hotaru’s chest clenched, and she sucked in a sharp breath to try and steady herself. “Amber-san, was your Partner mad at you that you chose to become connected to the Reaper’s Game?”

“Huh, Rue?” Though she’d listened patiently to Hotaru spilling her guts like a bad first draft of poetry, Amber’s expression shifted to shock. Hotaru nodded. “Not really. In fact, he encouraged me to do it. Said that it was my choice, but he thought I was suitable to the role.” Would Chou have said something like that? Hotaru couldn’t imagine it. Something akin to embarrassment tinted Amber’s cheeks a faint shade of pink, and she hugged her cat plush to her chest. “And besides, we still get to see each other. When I’m not playing a Game with someone, I’m basically just a normal high school girl. Huh? Hotaru? Are you okay?”

Hot tears slid down her cheeks, and Hotaru quickly sat down her tea to wipe them away. Even so, fresh teardrops bubbled up, letting her relief leak out. “Yeah, sorry, I’m fine,” Hotaru said, almost sort of airy laugh blending in with her words. Amber didn’t quite look convinced, but she nodded anyways. “I just… Thank you, Amber-san. I needed to hear that.” Because what she’d written in the letter to her parents hadn’t been a lie. “I think I’m ready. I’m going to try to be the Muse.”

 _But no matter how long I’m gone, I promise I’ll come back,_ she’d written.

And as a final thought before she’d stepped out the door, Hotaru had added, _And I’ll bring back Chou with me._

* * *

Hands shoved in his pockets, Hanekoma Sanae strolled through the evening streets of Shibuya. The few lights that stayed on even in the dead of night around Cat Street faded out behind him, making way for the occasional illumination of the many trails of Miyashita Park. It was a fascinating sight no matter how many times he’d gone through the streets of Shibuya, the way that the shadows and the light blended together to create intertwining images of darkness. In any other situation, Sanae might have decided to kick back in mid air and capture the view with a pencil and a sketchbook, but he had other things to tend to.

Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t take things at his own pace. Moments where you were working could still be enjoyed, too—what was the point of life or prolonged existence otherwise? On the way, he noticed Tsukiko Hotaru rush past, headed towards the café, but, seeing as he was several planes above where even Yoshiya could sense him, she didn’t notice Sanae at all. Amber could handle things well enough at home anyway.

Whistling a tune to himself, Sanae at last made it to the bridge overlooking the Miyashita Underpass. Above, the moon hung over the buildings, casting its pale light across the concrete. Expanding his vibe, Sanae opened up his senses to perceive the Noise about the area. Even outside of the Game, red noise symbols still glowed through the darkness in tribal strokes. But the normal ones weren’t what he was looking for, and Sanae widened his perspective further.

At last, he found the vibe he was looking for, the one blue against the night. While the other Noise symbols floated about aimlessly, as if restless, the blue stayed in place, hardly moving at all, as if defending its territory—or because it didn’t have the energy to do anything else.

Still, the Noise’s vibe wasn’t done yet, not succumbed into the static of Erasure. If a Pact were brave enough, they may consider challenging the enemy inside, but such a battle wasn’t necessary. All it would take was the slightest brush of the mind to throw down the gauntlet. At least, if one was a Player. As the Producer, Sanae could do much more than that.

When his mind brushed against the Noise symbol, the night didn’t break into sudden combat. Instead, Sanae listened to the Noise’s vibe, found the traces of a melody still buried deep in its Soul, beneath the static. The sounds were faint, but there, and Sanae set to work at reconstructing what he could. At times, it was a bit of a challenge not to go too far; he wasn’t creating an original track or a remix, but instead rebuilding an almost forgotten melody. But as the time passed and the moon started to slip across the sky, he’d rebuilt enough for the rest of the pieces to fall into place on their own, and, soon, there was no longer a Noise symbol, but instead the shape of a human, blinking as if trying to remember what the world looked like.

“Hey there, Boss. Long time no see. Well, no see like this anyway.” Sanae chuckled, and the man on the ground snapped to attention, his eyes letting off an almost predatory yellow glow in the night. “Whadya say to playing another Game?”

* * *

**[Eight Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

Two Days Prior Bonus Episode

“Wait & Doze"

* * *

“Hey, Kid, I’m headed out for a bit. Would you mind doing me a favor?”

Freshly changed into a cozy combination of a pair of sweatpants and a tank top for the evening (Rueban couldn’t complain if his gift pajamas were in the wash), Hanekoma Amber glanced over her shoulder at the sound of her Uncle’s voice from the doorway. He hadn’t opened the door without permission, but his voice was loud enough for her to hear. Nudging her day clothes towards the pile of laundry with a foot first, Amber headed towards the door. “What’s up, Uncle H?’

While Amber was already in her pajamas, Uncle H was still dressed in his usual attire for running the shop and doing other miscellaneous errands. “Well, I have some last minute things I need to take care of for the Game in a few days,” he said. “Thing is, I’m expecting to have a guest tonight, but I don’t know if I’ll be back in time to greet her. Would you mind staying up in case she stops by?”

If it weren’t for the fact that stranger things had happened in the WildKat before, Amber might have questioned why they were expecting a guest when most people would be headed to bed already. As things were, though, with Shibuya’s Producer and Artist living in the same place, their guest more than likely had to do with the UG. “Does this have to do with the whole Muse Game thing you were telling me about?”

“Bingo,” Uncle H said with a wink. “You don’t gotta wait in the café or anything. If she starts to come your way, I’ll text you. Just stay awake long enough to let her in, will ya?”

Amber nodded, pumping her fist. “No problem! I’ll hold down the fort for ya, so go do what you need to do.”

Uncle H patted Amber on the head, ruffling the dirty blonde strands. “Thanks, Kid. You’re the best.”

It didn’t take too long for her Uncle to set off, and Amber decided to set up camp downstairs in the longue. She hadn’t been planning on doing too much else for the day, so she put on her headphones, set her MP3 player to the newest album she’d picked up from Towa Records the other day, and cuddled up with Mewt in an armchair. Sometimes it was nice to listen to the music in detail, to see what hidden elements were tucked inside by its creator, waiting for discovery by a careful listener.

Amber clearly remembered listening to the first few tracks, but from there her concentration started to waver. Several songs later, she registered that her phone was buzzing at her chest—with no signs of stopping. Still in the daze of dozing off, she couldn’t fathom who was messaging her. After all, Rueban was the one who sent her the most, and it was far too late for his “rational” sleep schedule to be up. When she tried to ignore her phone, though, the next buzz came, and Amber cracked open an eye to realize that she had a string of text messages from Uncle H. She only had a chance to read a few before she realized her mistake, and the screen lit up in a call seconds later.

Amber answered, blurted out a quick apology to her uncle, then detangled herself from her nest and headed to the front to unlock the café.

It was a good thing that Hotaru was so polite about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features Hanekoma Amber, a take on Hype-chan originally from Chronic Guardian's Hybrid::Mixed Feelings on fanfiction.net!


	4. One Day Prior:  “Reveal & Request”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

One Day Prior:

“Reveal & Request”

* * *

The days before a Game started, the Dead God’s pad tended to see a cluster of Officer Reapers, confirming that everything was in place. It wasn’t as strict of a schedule as would happen during the coming week itself, but there would still be the various heads of departments comparing their information and making sure that everything was in order, which could turn into a precarious position when some of the rowdier members decided that maybe their talks were better spent with one of the many bottles of alcohol in the room opened. Fortunately, today hadn’t been one of those days, seeing as the next Game was to start tomorrow.

Unfortunately, it hadn’t made Koizumi Yutsui ’s headache any less pronounced. Though, upon consideration, headache wasn’t quite the right word. The sensation floating around her skull was something gently akin to stress, if not irritation. Though she knew how to play her cards so that no one would recognize what was going through her mind, part of her still simmered about what in the world Yoshiya was thinking.

Sitting on the couch across from her, Tanaka Renkuko showed none of the same reservations. Underneath the short-clipped strands of his blonde hair, his expression was set into one of perfect calm. The rest of his posture followed suit, concealed underneath the ever-shifting maze-like patterns on his coat. In any other situation, Yutsui would have been glad to see Ren so at ease—if it weren’t for the fact that their usual Game Master were out of a job for the week.

“Would you be so kind as to share your thoughts with me?” Ren asked, his baritone as smooth as ever.

Yutsui brushed some of her auburn hair out of her face, letting out a slight huff of annoyance. Without any of the other Officer Reapers around, Yutsui didn’t have to bother with holding herself back. “Only if you’d be so kind as to tell me why you don’t seem bothered by this chain of events at all, darling.”

Even through the faint traces of sarcasm in her voice, Ren’s lips only cracked into a smile. “Are you still upset about our Composer deciding that I needed a replacement for the week?” Ren chuckled. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re more upset than I am, Yutsui.”

“Goodness, whatever managed to give you that impression?” Ren had enough sense of mind to look mildly apologetic, and Yutsui crossed her arms as she reclined back further into the couch. “I know you already said that it’s not a big deal since it’s not like he decided to Erase you, but I think you’re acting far too calm given the circumstances.” Yutsui certainly wouldn’t have been so casual if Yoshiya had attempted to replace her as the Conductor. She may not have wanted the position in the first place, but she wasn’t about to give it up now that she had it.

“Well, I do have my concerns, I can admit that much. Tendo-san’s still rather young, both as a Reaper and as a person. It’s a different set of circumstances to when Minamimoto earned his promotion to Officer.” It was so very much like Ren to care more about others than himself. Yutsui couldn’t say she hated that side of him, though. Still thoughtful, Ren held a hand to his chin. “To be honest, though, I’m a little bit relieved, considering that this is going to be a Muse Game. I just wish that someone so young didn’t have to deal with this instead.”

Simply hearing the words was enough for Yutsui own thoughts to shift. She, too, was a bit relieved that Yoshiya hadn’t chosen to make Ren the GM for this week, but that didn’t mean that she was satisfied that Yoshiya had chosen to hold such a Game at all—when he’d announced it to Yutsui a few weeks ago, he’d mentioned that he’d discussed matters with the Producer, but all that implied Yutsui’s opinion on the matter wasn’t going to change his mind. _Honestly, just what is he thinking?_

“Are you going to be alright, though?” Ren asked, pulling Yutsui from her thoughts. The concern, if not a little misplaced, was still nice to hear. Yutsui decided to focus on anything else but the pleasant warmth Ren’s words brought to her chest. “You’re going to need to tie the UG together until the Composer finishes up going through Processing.”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine, darling.” It wasn’t the first time she’d watched over the city while Yoshiya played truant. Yutsui tapped her foot against the glass floor, causing the shadows of the fish underneath to scatter a bit before clustering around her again. “Once Yoshiya’s back into the UG, he’ll be Shibuya’s anchor again, and I’ll just need to do the same old job as always. Even better, he’ll have his little Partner to help out, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about.”

Unless Yoshiya had chosen wrong and they failed the Muse Game, but that wasn’t something that Yutsui wanted to consider. Yoshiya had made his fair share of questionable decisions in the time before and after becoming the Composer, but he wasn’t a fool. He wouldn’t play a game if there wasn’t some chance that he would win.

_So how high are those chances, really?_

“Ren, darling, do you happen to know much about our dearest Composer’s Muse candidate?” Yutsui asked, pushing her glasses back up on her nose. She’d meant to inquire with Ganabara at the Officer meeting that morning, but he’d been preoccupied with the task of successfully Processing the Composer into the Game—which couldn’t be an easy feat.

“Well, not too much personally,” Ren said, reaching into his jacket to pull out a few folded sheets of paper. Yutsui allowed herself a small smile. Even when Yoshiya was off playing one of his games, Yutsui would always be able to count on Ren. The off-duty Game Master unfolded the papers and smoothed out the creases. “I did do a little research, though, if you’d like to hear it.”

Yutsui swept her hand through the air in a welcoming gesture. “The floor’s yours, darling.”

“Very well.” Ren smiled, then cleared his throat. “Tsukiko Hotaru-san is the girl’s name. She played the Game two years ago and emerged victorious as the only Player from that round to return to life. Based on her Entry Fee from back then, she highly values her family, and she does have a decent amount of Imagination. She’s not the most powerful Player I’ve ever seen, but she did manage to open up some of her potential back then.”

Yutsui nodded, contemplating the information. It wasn’t uncommon for Muse candidates to be veterans of the Reaper’s Game—or, at least, it hadn’t been when such games were more common. At least from the section of the UG Yutsui had seen in her existence, however, there hadn’t been a Muse Game in quite some time. Several decades, at the least. Yoshiya’s suggestion had been just as unexpected as it had been sudden.

 _We’ve brought Shibuya quite some way already, haven’t we, Yutsui? Why stop now?_ he had said when she’d asked.

 _No, Yutsui. I get to play,_ he had said in a completely unrelated conversation some time ago. As far as Yutsui was concerned, that was much more likely his reason than some sense of responsibility.

“Well, there’s no sense in overthinking things, is there?” Yutsui said, breaking the comfortable silence between the two of them. She stood, stretching her arms above her as her hair brushed against her back. “Our dearest Highness has already made his decision, and we’re not going to turn things back once he gets out of Processing. The best thing we can do is handle our part.”

Ren raised an eyebrow with an amused look on his face. “Even though I’m the one who’s technically out of a job for the week?”

“Oh, honestly, Ren,” Yutsui said, a smile playing at the corners of her own lips, “just because you’re not going to be the Game Master this time doesn’t mean I don’t have plenty of work for you to take care of.”

* * *

Suzume may have been a Processor in most circumstances, but her sudden promotion to Game Master had meant she hadn’t seen the inside of the Den in a few days. Still, she’d spent a good fraction of the past two years there, so she couldn’t say she’d missed it much. The room looked like a combination of an office from some outdated movie and an upturned filing cabinet, and that was on a good day. A few fans spun slowly on the ceiling, bringing a faint breeze as relief from the outside, and the various Processors in the Den were rushing through the final motions to establish Entry Fees and evaluate the Players before the time came to distribute points over the next days. Many others were out, presumably taking care of final introductions of the Players to the rules. Suzume had always been one of the back-end Processors on the desk side of things, but she couldn’t say she missed that job much at the moment, either.

Not when it was almost time to give Kiryu a taste of his own damn medicine.

If she’d had her way, Suzume wouldn’t have bothered to come back to the Den at all, but she’d wanted to pick something up before heading out to the field. She’d lined up her tentative missions as best as she could, and the orders were even already in for the first day tomorrow. All she needed to do was stay attentive, attend a few unfortunate yet mandatory Officer meetings over the week, then obliterate Kiryu the first chance that she got. From there, it was just a matter of putting on appearances until the week finished and she could go back to business as usual. Someone else could handle the mess of replacing the Composer.

Sidestepping out of the way of a few of her bustling coworkers, Suzume made her way to her desk. As a personal rule, she tended to keep the place organized because it was a pain in the ass to finish her job if she didn’t. However, the last time she’d been in the Den was two days ago, before Kiryu’s summons to the Room of Reckoning. As a result, the oak surface of her desk still had Player profiles and Entry Fee profiles spread over it. At least there wasn’t any extra work added to the mess—not that she would bother to tend to it anyways.

No, she’d come there for something else.

Ignoring the leftover papers, Suzume dropped into her chair and started shuffling through her drawers. The contents inside them were a little less organized, but it wasn’t an awful mess or anything. Besides, what Suzume was looking for was tucked away in the back of a drawer—she just couldn’t remember which one she’d shoved it into. After all, it had been a little under two years since she’d become a Processor.

Thankfully, as antique looking as the desk was, it didn’t have too intricate of a drawer system. Suzume found the item she was looking for on her third drawer opening, and she clasped the textured metal inside her palm. Within moments, the cold gave away to the warmth of her hand. Maybe she didn’t have a right to keep the thing, but she hadn’t been able to let it go. So Suzume pulled aside her collar, clipped the item on the inside, then let it rest against her throat, right on her pulse.

Suzume sucked in a breath, held it for a few seconds, then let the air out. _Well, no sense in hanging around here anymore._

“Tendo-san.”

Her moment of peace broken, Suzume scowled and placed a hand on her hip as she turned to look at her boss. Ganabara Hideo—easily the oldest looking geezer in he UG with his white hair, mustache-goatee combo, round glasses, and muted traditional attire—ambled towards her desk. Suzume had been hoping to avoid the Master Processor, seeing as rumor had it he’d been handling the Composer, but it seemed that luck wasn’t on her side. “You need something, Ganabara-san? I’m pretty sure that you got the memo I’m not part of your department this week.”

Ganabara’s mustache twitched, and his voice came out sounding almost like a grumble. “I am more than aware of the changes in the trends of the market, Tendo-san,” he said, and Suzume repressed a sigh. As much as she found his incessant need to speak like an economics textbook infuriating, she did recognize that Ganabara deserved _some_ sort of respect as her elder. “I wanted to make sure that you were aware of the same.”

Suzume quirked her head, her bangs shifting out of her eyes as she stared down Ganabara on the other side of her desk. “It’s a little late for anyone to be trying to talk me out of this, you know.”

“On the contrary,” Ganabara said, not missing a beat, “we’ve come too far into this investment to pull out now. And I know that you’re much too stubborn for me to even convince you otherwise if I tried.” Suzume sniffed at the implication but held her tongue for the purpose of waiting for him to get to the damn point. If Ganabara wasn’t such a workaholic that it was likely he’d in the Den even after everyone else clocked out, Suzume would have saved her pickup for later. “You already know that the Composer will be a Player in this game.”

“Why else do you even think I’m bothering to be the GM?” Ganabara shook his head in exasperation, but Suzume let her own slight curiosity move the conversation forward. “What’s that jackass’s Entry Fee even look like anyway?” No matter what he said about trying to improve Shibuya, Suzume couldn’t see Kiryu caring about anything else but himself.

Ganabara stroked at his beard, pulling the white hairs back into a controlled point. “Nothing like we’d usually expect out of a Player.” Though she kept her expression neutral, Suzume listened carefully. She’d spent some time over the past few days conducting research on the Muse Game, but she’d only found a very limited supply of information. “A Muse Game involves the Composer attempting to reach a new level of power, Tendo-san. To achieve that, one needs to put something much larger than their personal priorities at risk.”

“And that would be?”

“The right to remain as the Composer—the right to exist at all.” Well, Kiryu had neglected to mention _that_ piece of information in their previous talk. Still, Suzume wasn’t about to let the chance to Erase him with her own hands slip away. Ganabara folded his hands together, hidden underneath his russet kimono sleeves. “The same applies to the Composer’s selected partner, the potential Muse. Rather than giving up something personal, they, too are wagering their right to existence. If they lose the Muse Game, then there’s no coming back, not even as a Noise or a fragment of Soul.”

As far as Suzume was concerned, a world without Kiryu Yoshiya was more than she could ask for. She just felt sorry for the sucker he’d managed to convince to play with him. It wouldn’t be anything personal, but Suzume wasn’t about to go easy on some stranger if it meant sparing Kiryu.

“As fascinating as this is, Ganabara-san, I don’t see the point of you telling me,” Suzume said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “You had to handle the finer details of that Processing, so it doesn’t have much to do with me. I’m just here to make sure that Kiryu has a hell of a time trying to survive this week. That’s pretty much what he recruited me for anyways.”

She’d hoped that Ganabara would get the hint and leave her be, but the stubborn old man wouldn’t budge. “One cannot complete a transaction without evaluating the market consequences first, Tendo-san,” he said, and, for a moment, Suzume could have sworn that she saw something like pity flash behind the round lenses of his glasses. “I did complete the Processing of both the Composer and his Partner, so everything is in order, but…”

Losing her already thin patience, Suzume snapped, “But _what_?”

“But you don’t know who the Muse candidate is, do you?” Suzume growled at Ganabara to get on with it. “As I thought,” he said, taking a moment to straighten from his somewhat hunched posture to look Suzume in the eyes. “I thought you’d have a right to know—”

And as the next words formed in his mouth, Suzume wanted to believe that it was some kind of joke. But Ganabara wouldn’t do something like that. No, the only person that was playing a joke right now was Kiryu, and she could just hear his goddamn infuriating giggle as clearly as if he were delivering the news himself.

“—Tsukiko Hotaru has reentered the Game.”

* * *

Escorting her last patient out for the day, Mizushima Yuina went through the process of tidying up her office. She’d kept detailed notes on all her appointments for the day, and it shouldn’t have taken her long to keep everyone’s reports updated so long as she stayed focused for a few more hours. Shutting the door of her office behind her, Yuina went to sink into her seat.

Out of an appreciation for the other places she’d traveled to in the world, Yuina had decorated the walls of her office with various trinkets and souvenirs, most of them intricately designed glass or metal replicas of landmarks. She’d styled her office in the vein of foreign lands as well, with majestic oak furniture that shined in brilliant tones against the verdant green walls and carpet. Leaving her computer be for the moment, Yuina focused on sorting out her handwritten notes across the desk.

All things considered, most of her patients were seeing progress. Some in smaller steps, others in larger leaps, but still progress. Her newest patient, a young man, was still very much struggling against his depression, but there was enough of a spark in him that he could overcome it, so long as he fought for it, and it was Yuina’s job to give him the best opportunity he could to fight for it—to fight to live.

It was the least she could do at this point.

Yuina pushed the familiar thoughts away with a sweep of her hand through her pale lilac bangs. The rest of her shoulder length hair was up in a very simple bun at the back of her neck, but she liked to wait until she was officially done with work before letting it down. Staying constrained made it easier for her to remain focused. It kept her stapled into what she was doing now, what she _could_ do now, rather than dwelling on the past.

Knowing there wouldn’t be any progress otherwise, Yuina dived right in to the papers, sorting them out to their appropriate patient folders. As she went, she added additional notes to everyone’s profiles, quick jots about phases of treatment and potential changes in medication. She was about done with the task when she realized that she’d forgotten to pull out a patient’s folder that morning and ducked down to the file cabinet to her side to retrieve it.

When Yuina turned back to face her desk proper once more, a woman was standing before it.

Unlike Yuina, who tended to wear somewhat casual floor length dresses so as not to seem too intimidating to her patients, the woman before her was the pinnacle of professionalism. She wore a carefully constructed three-piece suit, and the glimmer of a ruby shined from a pin on her tie. The only thing that may have thrown off the look was the way the newcomer wore her long hair loose, but the color was so dark and the locks fell so straight that they couldn’t have looked anything but dignified.

“Kaguya,” Yuina said, the faintest vibration of guilt in her voice, “I didn’t expect to see you.” Yuina never expected to see any of them after what had happened all those years ago—she’d just gone about her life in Ikebukuro, trying to do what little she could to save the people around her. “Don’t tell me you need the help of someone all used up like me.”

“Yes, that’s exactly the case,” Kaguya said, and Yuina’s poor attempt at a joke petered out. She missed when Kaguya had actually smiled. Even more, though, she dreaded what request could be coming next. “Have you been paying attention to what’s been happening in the other wards lately?” Yuina shook her head; she tried not to think too hard about the rest of Tokyo if she could help it. Kaguya’s stoic expression didn’t so much as waver. “Shibuya’s Composer is stirring up trouble again.”

Yuina contained her grimace. It seemed that boy didn’t know how to calm down in the slightest. Even so, Yuina kept up the pleasant expression she had schooled after years of not letting her heart visibly break in front of the patients she cared for. “I don’t have anything to do with Shibuya, Kaguya,” she said, trying to sound in control without becoming aggressive. “You and Narumi are in a much better position than I am to do something about whatever’s happening.”

“We tried.” Kaguya folded her arms under her chest, the smallest traces of concern and irritation pushing at the edges of her otherwise mask-like expression. “Unfortunately, there isn’t enough grounds to warrant direct intervention. Even Shibuya’s Producer has agreed to go along with matters—” _So that’s why you decided to come to me, huh?_ “—but we’d like to stop events before they become cause for trouble.”

“Kaguya, I can’t go running around Shibuya on some errands.” Taking a pen between her fingers, Yuina let herself hold onto it, for anything to ground herself to. “I have a business now, I have _patients_. If I disappear without warning, you know what could happen. We agreed to this back…then.”

“We did agree. And I’m sorry to ask you to reconsider now.” Kaguya may not have sounded particularly apologetic, but Yuina didn’t blame her for that. It would just be unfair to ask for anything more. “But I’m asking you because I don’t think you’d want to risk them losing Shibuya the same way that you lost Ikebukuro.”

 _You can’t be serious?_ Yuina’s breath hitched in her throat, and the pen fell into her skirt with a soft _pat_. She looked up at Kaguya, begging that it was an exaggeration of some kind. But Kaguya’s liquid gold eyes didn’t waver, looking at stern as ever. Kaguya would never make such a tasteless joke, not after everything.

“The Tokyo UG has gone through many tumultuous events over the past years,” Kaguya said, her arms once more resting at her sides. “Aside from the shifting of many Composers, we’ve gone through the CHECKMATE uprising, the loss of Ikebukuro, the Fall of one of our kind, and the near Inversion in Shinjuku. If we allowed for another major shift in the frequency here, we could be facing severe consequences that stretch farther throughout the country.”

“But you’re…you’re saying that Shibuya’s going to be attempting a Muse Game.” Kaguya gave a curt nod. “There’s no way that—” Yuina stopped her own retort short. _There’s no way he would let that happen? Don’t be stupid, Yuina,_ she scolded herself. _Of course he would. He’s the one who let it happen in the first place._ As if sensing Yuina’s conflict, Kaguya remained silent. “When? When is it going to start?”

“Shibuya’s newest cycle of the Game will begin tomorrow. The Composer and the Muse candidate have already gone through Processing.”

“Tomorrow? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Yuina stood up, abandoning the near completed work on her desk in favor of trying to find her cellphone. She needed to call her secretary, make some scheduling changes…

“We weren’t certain that the Game was going to take place. There was still a chance that the Muse candidate would decline the offer.” Kaguya’s golden eyes seemed to follow Yuina’s every move as she bustled around her office, but there was no time for dignity or decorum. “I take it that you’ll help us, then, Yuina?”

Already punching in a message on her phone and headed for the door, Yuina nodded. “Do you even need to ask? I may not be able to do much, but I’ll try my damnedest.” Satisfied that she had everything she needed, Yuina glanced back at Kaguya. “I won’t be able to get over there for a few days, but I will be there. I can at least try to get them to listen to reason.”

Kaguya bowed perfectly at the waist, locks of her obsidian hair spilling over her shoulders. “I appreciate it. Narumi does, too.”

Yuina nodded once more, tossing a wave over her shoulder. All things considered, she didn’t give a damn what Narumi thought, or even Kaguya. But in the pseudo life she’d built as a psychologist, Yuina had come to the point where she wouldn’t accept others recklessly putting themselves in danger, even if some would argue that they deserved it. And she certainly wasn’t about to let someone make the same mistake that she did.

Stepping out onto the sunshine hanging over the Ikebukuro streets, Yuina pulled her hair down, letting the shoulder length lilac strands flutter in the breeze. It was time to stop pretending that she was someone that had nothing to do with the UG anymore.

_Are you really willing to risk losing Shibuya after everything you did to save it, Sanae?_

* * *

**[Seven Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

One Day Prior Bonus Episode

“Agitation & Hyper”

* * *

As Suzume stomped her way out of the Processor’s Den, she swore that she was going to kick Kiryu’s stupid face in before the Game even started, full capacity as Composer or no, and she was about halfway to the Room of Reckoning before she realized that the bastard had already gone through Processing and he would be in what constituted to limbo until the day started tomorrow and he entered the field as a Player.

Making Hotaru a Player—that was the exact sort of thing that he _would_ do. It hadn’t been about giving himself a disadvantage at all, because if Hotaru was his Muse candidate, then Suzume couldn’t Erase the Composer without Erasing her, too. No, it wasn’t a done deal just yet—the Composer and the Muse candidate had to forge a Pact in person, just like everyone else. If Suzume could just make it so Kiryu wound up Erased before they even partnered up, or if she Erased him and got Hotaru to a new Partner before the seven minutes were up…

The idea was a risky one, so it didn’t do anything to ease Suzume’s nerves. Unfortunately for the nearest wall, it became a substitute for Kiryu’s smug little face as Suzume kicked it with the full weight of her boots. Even that wasn’t enough to let off her frustration, and Suzume let out a scream that sounded much more like a roar than anything else.

“Oh, oh, I found Suzu-san! Coco-chan-sama, over here!”

Rubbing her temples, Suzume groaned as the sounds of two pairs of footsteps raced towards her. She briefly considered banging her head against the concrete next, but that wouldn’t be enough to do a Reaper’s body damage. If anything, it would make her forming headache all the worse. So Suzume gritted her teeth and waited for the brats to arrive.

The two blonde midgets appeared in short order, running as fast as their tiny legs could carry them. One had near platinum blonde hair, save for a dyed lilac streak down her left side. The rest of her getup consisted of a cutesy pink bear cardigan, a frilly turquoise skirt, striped tights, and rainbow colored beaded bracelets that tended to make a damn racket when flailed around, as the girl’s body language was prone to. Beside her was an even shorter girl, with her wavy blonde hair in pigtails as it contrasted against the tanned skin of her ganguro look, which just contrasted even more with her mixed attire of Sheep Heavenly and Wild Boar. Despite their cute appearances, the skeletal black wings sprouted from their backs proved that they were Reapers.

Atarashi Coco and Mininaka Kyasako—aka two of Suzume’s fellow Processors and easily some of the most annoying individuals she had to put up. Normally, it wasn’t so bad, as they were on the front end of things and worked more directly with Players, but that didn’t seem to be saving her now.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s Suzu-san!” Coco cheered, tossing her hands up into the air. For some reason, she even found it necessary to balance on one foot to complete the gesture. “Like, super-mega-congrats on your promotion to GM! Kya-Kya here an’ I have been waiting to say something, but we were swamped with work. It was a real downer, ya feel me? But we managed to catch you, so all’s well that ends well, amirite?”

The fact that Suzume had been screaming beforehand seemed to have done nothing to deter the two as they broke into some weird song chant. Before they could get too far, Suzume forcefully cleared her throat. “And now you congratulated me. Super. But I got lots of work still left to do, so go ahead and buzz off, yeah?”

“Aw, but Suzu-san, you can’t, like, do nothing but work all the time,” Mininaka said, bunching her small hands into even smaller fists out of determination. “That’s, like, totally lame and not good for you. You gotta stop and smell the roses! Oh, well, I guess there aren’t roses down here, but you get what I mean.”

Coco nodded as if Mininaka had said something worthwhile. “Kya-Kya’s right. No offense, Suzu-san, but you’re _way_ too grumpy already. If you don’t, like, get happy even when you’ve been promoted, you’re gonna spend the rest of your life in a bad mood.”

 _I’ll get in a good mood once I thrash the Composer for being such a manipulative little prick,_ Suzume thought, but she figured that would just bring a much more annoying barrage of questions, rather than any respite. Instead, Suzume waved off the two girls that seemed to be treading closer into her personal space by the second. “Well in case you haven’t noticed, I _am_ the GM this week. That means I have work to take care of.” _Just like I’m sure you two do, too._

“Ohmigosh!” Coco’s hands flew to her mouth as she gasped. “That’s right, you gotta be super-duper busy being the GM. Mr. Renku-kun is always running around. Hm, I know, I could be _your_ assistant for the week, too, how amazeballs would that be?”

Coco’s hand shot into air, closely followed by Mininaka’s as the youngest (both physically _and_ in UG terms) volunteered as well. “Oh, me too, me too. Let’s, like, totally do this thing together Suzu-san.”

“Yeah, hard pass from me,” Suzume said, not even thinking it over for a moment. Assuming that the two were on board with murdering the fuck out of Kiryu, Suzume doubted she could stand them long enough to get anything helpful out of the pair. As predicted, Coco and Mininaka let out resonating groans. Suzume ignored their protests and went to walk right past them. “Like I said, I got GM stuff to do. Don’t you two have Players to Process or something? The Game _does_ start tomorrow, you know.”

There was a pause, and when Suzume glanced back over her shoulder, she saw the two girls looking at each other with blank expressions before Suzume’s words sank in. Then they were off, scrambling back down the path to the Processor’s Den. Not having the capacity to put up with much else, Suzume exhaled a long breath and shoved her hands into her pants pockets.

Last time she checked, those two didn’t have clearance for the Dead God’s Pad, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features Koizumi Yutsui, Tanaka Renkuko, Ganabara Hideo, and Mininaka Kyasako, all characters that originally appear in Chronic Guardian's Hybrid::Mixed Feelings on fanfiction.net!


	5. The Second First Day “Run & Pact”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Second First Day

“Run & Pact”

* * *

The sound of Shibuya crowds seemed to stir her from sleep. The hard press of asphalt was against her back, along with a few bumps of debris. Despite resting on the hard ground, Hotaru’s muscles didn’t feel cramped at all. Not wanting to see passerby stepping right through her, Hotaru kept her eyes shut as she pulled herself to her feet. Only then did she look out to see the familiar expanse of Scramble Crossing before her, the freedom of summer encouraging people to be out in spades. She surveyed the crowd but didn’t see any sign of Yoshiya amongst the sea of people.

Holding back a swallow, Hotaru clutched onto the pin pouch around her neck. When she’d finally gotten the chance to talk with Hanekoma-san, she’d declined the offer to bring her messenger bag with her; it would just get in the way of fighting Noise. Deciding to get ahead while she still had the chance, Hotaru pulled open the drawstring of her pouch to try and sort out her battle options.

The chirping of her cellphone had other plans.

Still holding onto a few pins with one hand, she retrieved her phone with the other, flipping it open. Sure enough, it was the first mission of the week: _Gather a companion and head to 104. Fail and face Erasure._ Even though she knew it was coming, Hotaru shivered a bit at the words. The sting of the timer on her hand didn’t help, either. _If I fail here, then that’s it, isn’t it?_ She knew she could survive until the next day if someone else cleared the mission first, but that was only if she was lucky enough not to get cornered by any Noise.

 _No, that’s not an option._ Clutching her phone and handful of pins between her fists, Hotaru tried to set her determination. She’d promised her parents that she’d be back. The only acceptable path was to find Yoshiya, win the Muse Game, and go home.

Somewhere behind her, she heard a faint buzzing sound.

Stowing away her phone and remembering to close up her pin pouch, Hotaru spun around, on guard. At first, all she saw was the crowds around her—then there was the shape of movement. What appeared to be a large hornet burst into view, its body made of the winding tattoo-like marks that designated it as a Noise. Hotaru almost stood her ground before she remembered she didn’t have a Pact yet. Fighting was out of the question. Her only choice until she found Yoshiya was to run.

Hotaru was closest to way that lead to Center Street, but she could see the faintest shimmer of a Wall in the path—with no Support Reaper in sight. Even if there were, she wouldn’t be able to gain much headway without a Partner. Since the bees were coming up from the department store, Hotaru sprinted through people to the opposite end of the Scramble, going as fast as she could.

 _Why didn’t I ask Yoshiya-san where he wanted to meet up when the Game started?!_ That would’ve been the smart move to do. Then again, she hadn’t seen him since three days ago. _Ugh, this is my fault for being so stubborn! I should’ve just said yes and formed an actual plan instead of running around like an idiot._

The soles of her tennis shoes pounded against the pavement, but she could still hear the buzzing of the hornet’s wings behind her. They had no intention of letting her escape, Hotaru could tell that much. Technically, so long as she stalled for enough time and found Yoshiya, she wouldn’t have to escape. People rushed past her in blurs of color as she scanned the crowd.

“Over here!”

Hotaru’s eyes flicked towards the voice, but she didn’t slow down. Sure enough, there was another person approaching her, melding through the crowd as he ran. Just like Hotaru did, the approaching Player had a miniature swarm of the hornet Noise behind him. While it would’ve been great to see another Player in the situation at any other time, the problem was that the boy wasn’t Yoshiya.

“Hey, you’re a Player, too, yeah?” In a few moments, the boy had caught up with Hotaru’s stride. His attire was mostly blues and grays, though he tugged an orange baseball cap back into lopsided position before offering his hand. “Come on, let’s Pact up before the Noise get us.”

Hotaru clenched her fists together and went around him, not breaking her stride. “I’m sorry, I can’t!” she managed to say through her already heavy breaths.

“What do ya mean ya…” The boy’s voice faded out, then came back into clarity as he caught up with Hotaru, jogging along at her side. Despite the company, Hotaru kept her eyes forward. “What, did ya lose your common sense for your Entry Fee or somethin’? If we don’t Pact up, we’re toast, remember?”

Oh, Hotaru remembered, and probably better than most other Players. A Partner was your lifeline, a way to stay connected to the UG. Without one, you were done for. If she didn’t already have Yoshiya to meet up with, she would have had no trouble with pairing up with this boy, especially since they were both in hot water otherwise. “I already have a Partner!”

“Right, I get ya,” the boy said with a healthy dose of deadpan disbelief. “If ya’ve got a Partner, then why are ya still running?”

“There’s no time to explain!”

Seeing the way to Hachiko up ahead, Hotaru kept sprinting forward, even as her chest started to tighten. The boy let out an exasperated growl, but he kept by her side anyways. Maybe he was hoping that she’d give in and Pact with him if worse came to worst. It was a better alternative than running around on their own without another Player in sight, if nothing else.

Apparently, though, the hornets didn’t get the memo that they needed to wait a few more minutes. With the sound of its massive wings vibrating, one of the Noise broke away from its group in a full out charge, its stinger extended. Hotaru was lucky enough to be looking back when it happened, so she was able to jump out of the way. “Move!”

Though she hadn’t given any additional context, the boy following her caught on well enough, also dodging out of the way of the approaching hornet. There wasn’t any time to celebrate, though, as more of the Noise broke out of their formation, one more charging for Hotaru as another went for the boy. Trying her best not to trip, Hotaru scrambled out of the way, but the boy hissed as the Noise grazed by his arm. It wasn’t enough damage to warrant Erasure, however, but that was a small victory. Hotaru opened her mouth to ask if he was alright, but another hornet zipped past her face, causing a yelp to come out instead.

“Ya know,” the boy shouted, tumbling across the street as a hornet almost embedded itself in the sidewalk where he’d been a few seconds before, “we wouldn’t be having this problem if ya’d just _Pact with me_!”

“I’m sorry!” Hotaru said again, unable to get a good look at the crowd with her full attention focused on the barrage of Noise. The hornets were picking up speed, their rapid wingbeats building up to a menacing buzz that overpowered even the sounds of the people around them. She, too, had a few close calls and scrapes added to her arms, but there weren’t any direct hits. Hotaru pressed her palm to her stinging arm, the pins gripped in her other hand useless without a Pact to open up their potential.

Where was Yoshiya? It was stupid to think that he’d succumbed to a few Noise, but maybe something else was stopping him. For a moment, an awful thought creeped up on her, that the whole thing had been a joke and just a way to get her back into the Game, to clean up the loose ends of two years ago. She shook the notion away before it could take hold, though.

 _Trust your Partner._ She had to trust her Partner. It wouldn’t be like last time.

“Pay attention, dammit!”

The orange-capped boy snagged onto Hotaru’s arm, pulling her out of the way of two of the hornets that had almost caught her in a pincer attack while she’d spaced out. A fresh type of panic replaced Hotaru’s previous worry, that by touching another Player she’d accidentally formed a Pact. But there was no sudden flash of lights.

The boy scowled, sweat shining on his face. “The least ya can do if ya won’t Pact is not get yourself killed, ya know?” Up close, he looked at bit younger than her by maybe a few years, and something like worry was present in his frustrated expression. Not that she got a good opportunity to see it as he took off running again, yanking her along with him. The hornets had lulled enough to leave an opening, but it wasn’t enough to escape. “This would be a damn good time for that Partner ya were talkin’ about to show up.”

Part of Hotaru certainly agreed, but that wouldn’t help the situation. “It’s not my fault we woke up so far apart!” Okay, snapping at a practical stranger wasn’t helping, either, but there wasn’t much Hotaru could do about the situation except run and maybe hope another Player would show up to Pact up with the boy.

“Listen, girlie, I don’t think ya understood the rules when they explained them to us—”

“I understand the rules just fine!” At least for a standard Reaper’s Game. The whole Muse Game deal was a little up in the air.

“Oh, yeah?” the boy said, dragging Hotaru into a swerve to avoid another onslaught of hornet Noise. Hachiko was almost ahead of them. “If ya understand the rules so much then why are ya running around like ya want to lose?”

Was there no way to get him off her case without spilling the whole truth? She’d just have to ad lib it and see what happened. “Because—”

“Goodness, did I come at a bad time?” The familiar voice caused Hotaru to come to an immediate halt. The orange hatted boy attempted to keep running, the force yanking on Hotaru’s already stinging arm, but she refused to budge. Sure enough, Yoshiya emerged from the crowd moments later, looking none the worse for wear. It seemed he’d decided to keep the aged up form he’d taken on at WildKat, glasses and all. Walking at a pace that seemed far too casual for the situation, Yoshiya flicked some of his hair aside. “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to consider this fashionably late, would you?”

“Finally, someone else!” Hotaru’s impromptu companion said, releasing his hold on her arm and walking towards Yoshiya. “Listen, girlie here won’t make a Pact, so I need someone—”

“Apologies, I’m already reserved, so to speak.” The orange hatted boy groaned out a curse, but Yoshiya just giggled before offering out his hand. “Shall we, Hotaru-chan?”

Hotaru had been thinking that the night before at WildKat—or, rather, two nights ago, once she realized she’d been out the entirety of the previous day—had been the final chance to back away from things. But there was still another choice, that if she didn’t Pact with Yoshiya, she could just have a regular Reaper’s Game, and go back like she did before.

_But what would be the point?_

Smiling, Yoshiya held out his hand like some prince from a fairy tale. And while she wasn’t a princess or anything of the sort, Hotaru took it anyway. “Yoshiya-san—”

That time, there were lights. It was a flash, and only for a few seconds, but she could feel the bond that came along with it. The pins in her other hand were no longer trinkets, but conduits for Imagination. She wasn’t just a Player anymore, but the Muse candidate, with no exceptions. And with that, Hotaru could feel the beginning pulses of power that sounded like a song playing from somewhere very far away.

“That’ll do,” Yoshiya said, sounding lost in thought. That short span of contact should’ve been all they needed to forge the Pact, but he made no signs of letting go of her hand, even as the Noise closed in on them. Still holding on, Yoshiya glanced over his shoulder at the third member of their little show. “If you’re having trouble finding a Partner, there were still some unpacted Players at the station. Sounds like a good place for you if you ask me.” The orange hatted boy opened his mouth, as if considering some smart retort, but seemed to think better of it as he sprinted off towards Hachiko. Satisfied, Yoshiya turned the face the collective swarm of hornets. “As for these ones…I’d say the situation calls for some pest control, don’t you?”

“R-right!” Hotaru glanced at the pins in her hand and mentally prepared herself for battle. It’d been some time, but she could still do this. Probably.

As things were, there wasn’t much time to find out. The world seemed to split, and Yoshiya’s hand let go of Hotaru’s as they tuned into the Noise Plane. The people that had once crowded the streets vanished from view, leaving only the cluster of hornets behind. Between her and the orange-hatted boy, six of the Noise had come together, and they flitted about the air at a distance before recognizing the target before them and posing themselves to charge.

Hotaru didn’t let them get the chance.

Concentrating as hard as she could, Hotaru flung out her hand, the metal of the pins pressing into her palms. Fire leapt up from the asphalt, managing to trap three of the hornets in the flames. The others dodged out of the way, angry buzzing filling the air. Still, Hotaru held onto the psych for as long as she could, even though the Noise still remained behind, even after the flames died down.

The ones that hadn’t been caught in her initial assault zipped across the streets, one hornet readying its charge. As if sensing the opportunity, the rest followed suit. Not one for close range combat, Hotaru dodged out of the way, then sliced her hand through the air, activating her second pin’s psyche. A crackle of electricity served as the precursor to a thick line of lightning slicing through the field. Several of the hornets charged right into the barrier, then knocked back, stunned.

She hadn’t stopped one of the hornets, though, and it managed to slam into her shoulder. Its oversized stinger rent a searing pain all the way down to Hotaru’s fingertips, and she almost fell back onto the concrete herself. Just managing to keep her grip on the pins in her hand, Hotaru reactivated her fire psych, and the flames roared back to life around her. Even though she was in the middle of them, Hotaru felt only an almost ticklish warmth.

The Noise wasn’t so lucky, though, and it burst to static seconds later. Throwing out another line of lightning as defense, Hotaru found two of the other hornets close to each other. Without hesitation, set the ground beneath them on fire. Normally, she’d follow up with another psyche, but she’d only had enough time to grab the two pins from her arsenal. Trying to survey her surroundings while she had the chance, Hotaru’s breath almost caught in her throat as another of the hornets charged at her from behind, especially when she tried to activate a psych and nothing happened.

Just as she was about to throw herself into a haphazard roll to dodge, the Noise burst into static. _Don’t go panicking on me now,_ she heard Yoshiya say. _This won’t take much longer._

Hotaru huffed, spinning to face the remaining enemies. Was it possible for Yoshiya to say something like a compliment _without_ including a hint of sarcasm in the process? She launched off her psyches in quick succession, knowing that, if nothing else, she did have a Partner on her side to back her up.

True to Yoshiya’s word, though, the rest of the battle didn’t take long, especially as the number of enemies decreased on the field. Mid another slash of her Lightning Rook psych, the final hornet vanished in a haze of static before Hotaru shifted back into the UG. Yoshiya appeared at her side, not even looking the slightest bit ruffled by the battle.

Hotaru, on the other hand, let out a quiet sigh of relief. Yoshiya had shown up, just like he said he would. She could trust him—no, she _needed_ to trust him, especially if she was going to make good on her promise.

“Not a bad first run, considering we were on a bit of short notice,” Yoshiya said with a contemplative hum. Considering neither of them had sustained any major injuries, Hotaru could agree with that assessment. Of course, it wouldn’t have reflected very favorably on them if a veteran Player and the Composer had fell to the Noise on the first day. Yoshiya glanced at his open palm, the seconds slowly ticking away. “Well, we’re not quite ahead of schedule, but we’re making good time. I’d say we have time to collect ourselves before wrapping this mission up.”

Hotaru nodded, unclenching her fists. Her fingers burned with a faint pain not unlike a writer’s cramp as she released her hold on her pins. Since having a Pact meant that there wouldn’t be any sudden Noise encounters, she had more than enough time to finish setting up her deck so her options in battle weren’t so limited. Clipping the two pins to her collar, Hotaru opened up her pouch once more and started sorting out the ones she could make use of.

“You managed to keep a decent collection all these years,” Yoshiya said, and Hotaru flushed a bit at the intent gaze he had. “I’m glad you did, since that helps us out offensively, but I’ll admit I’m a bit surprised.”

When she considered the rest of her attitude towards the Game, Hotaru was a bit surprised, too—but even once she’d returned to the RG, she hadn’t felt safe without the pouch hanging around her neck. “I just…feel better having them around.” It didn’t matter that they were just simple accessories outside of the UG; something about the weight was enough reassurance. And, like the CD player tucked away in her desk at home, some of the pins had been extras for Chou, and Hotaru hadn’t wanted that memento to disappear. “I’m guessing you’re prepared as well, Yoshiya-san? Or do you need some extras?”

“Yes, I have everything I need.” Yoshiya pulled his phone from his pocket, a patch of bright orange against the rest of his almost muted attire. However he would fight, it seemed that his approach didn’t need to involve Hotaru’s pin stash.

Since sharing wasn’t necessary, Hotaru dumped the spare pins back into her pouch, tightening the drawstring once more. “And your powers?” she chanced asking, fastening the rest of her selections alongside the first two. “Hanekoma-san said that you wouldn’t exactly be in top shape from the start…”

Yoshiya bobbed his head in a nod, sending the tips of his ash blonde hair bouncing. “Since part of the Muse Game is testing how much power you’ll be able to draw out of our Pact, I am starting at a very limited scope of my abilities.” Right, Hanekoma-san had mentioned something like that. Hotaru didn’t quite know if she’d be able to pull anything like opening Yoshiya’s powers up, though. “Admittedly, it’s a much stricter limit than I’d been expecting, but it isn’t the worst possible outcome. I have perfect faith that we’ll do just fine once our Souls start to accumulate to each other. Shall we go, then?”

Not even giving her time to protest his faith in her, Yoshiya set their course for 104. He didn’t get too far ahead, though, and Hotaru was able to easily match his stride. Before too long, the shape of a red-hooded Support Reaper came into view through the crowd. Without even needing to be asked, Yoshiya stepped forward to address the Reaper, and with a passing assessment of “Pact confirmed,” the wall blocking the path to 104 vanished. Now, even if other Players didn’t have a Partner, they’d at least have a way through.

As the skyward reaching shape of the 104 Building came ever closer, Hotaru glanced around the area for signs of anyone out of place. The timer on her hand still had about fifteen minutes left on it. Yoshiya didn’t seem nearly as cautious, adjusting his glasses back into place. “Looks like we’re the first ones to clear the mission,” he said. “That should be more than enough to start this Game off right.”

While it wasn’t Hotaru’s first time being the one responsible for clearing a Mission, it was a little bit reassuring. _So long as it isn’t a fluke,_ she thought, grimacing at her own words. While she knew from experience that Players could easily fail the first day, it was still a straightforward mission in comparison to what was to come. “Do you think this is it?” she said. Part of her was waiting for something worse to appear and jump out at them, to pose some new impossible challenge. “Or is the G—”

Hotaru didn’t get to finish her sentence. A wave of tiredness pressed close on her mind, and she just managed to see Yoshiya’s eyes start to flutter shut as the darkness claimed her.

* * *

**[Six Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The Second First Day Bonus Episode

“Trap & Shortcut”

* * *

Yoshiya came to without the heat of the summer Shibuya sun pressing down on him. Instead, it was the cool of shade that brushed against his skin, and the faintest sound of train tracks in the distance along with a few errant footsteps from erratic passerby met his ears. Knowing there wasn’t much point to lounging around when the Reaper’s Game was due to start at any moment, Yoshiya quickly righted himself and dusted traces of the ground from his clothes. He was in the Station Underpass, where splashes of red and white graffiti lined the walls and Shibuya residents had chained up their bikes to the nearby railings.

The chime of his phone and the sting of a Timer appearing on his hand signaled the start of the mission without any preamble. He didn’t bother to look; forming a Pact and directing Players to the 104 Building had been the first day mission for most of Yoshiya’s tenure as Composer. The only kink in the situation was that Yoshiya had woken up on the doorstep of the Shibuya River, giving him a rather far back starting point.

Considering that Suzume _was_ a Processor, he wouldn’t be surprised if she had tweaked his storage codes to make Yoshiya wake up at the last possible moment and from the most disadvantageous position. Honestly, he could see her dropping him farther back in the Shibuya River if it wasn’t generally an off-limit area for Players.

“You’re not exactly being subtle, dear,” he said under his breath. On the off chance that she was watching him, he would take the opportunity to get under her skin a little more. She had to be livid if she’d realized that Hotaru was in the Game again.

 _Well, let’s not waste any time._ Suzume’s intentions or no, Yoshiya had his own Game to worry about, and he intended to win. Pacting up with Hotaru needed to be his topmost priority. Finding her before the inevitable attack by Noise would be preferable.

With that in mind, Yoshiya tried to tap into Shibuya, hoping to find Hotaru’s frequency to serve as a guidepost. While the action was normally as simple as conducting a Scan with a Player Pin, the sudden awareness of the city didn’t reach him. While he had expected a limited range, he hadn’t predicted this. For all intents and purposes, he was at even more of a disadvantage then he’d been joining Neku as his Partner.

 _All the more reason to find Hotaru-chan, then._ If nothing else, he’d find her if he headed towards 104, so Yoshiya set off. Though it had been a year since he’d taken part in the Game, it was still a different experience to be on the streets as a Player, rather than the Composer, even if he was still technically both. Daylight at last met him as he stepped out into the West Exit Bus Terminal.

And, because Suzume wasn’t subtle in the slightest, so did the Noise.

While a newer strain, the Breakbeat Hornets weren’t much of a surprise to Yoshiya; he had meant it when he said that he was willing to give Suzume the tools she needed to act as GM. Part of him had expected her to perhaps wait a bit, but it didn’t matter much. All he needed to do was make it to Hotaru first, and that would be that.

Assessing the situation as fast as he could while still running, Yoshiya caught sight of at least a dozen of the hornets surrounding him, with more flitting between the buildings of the terminal. Suzume hadn’t failed to discern the best chance to Erase him, but he had no intentions of letting her get away with it. He’d survived his own time in the UG without the power of the Composer, and he could do it again.

Deciding that there wasn’t much room for decorum, Yoshiya broke into a full out sprint, slipping right through any RG dwellers that happened to be in his way. The buzzing of the hornets followed, even as he worked his way around the buildings. The Moyai Statute sat straight ahead, signaling the nearby route to Hachiko. It would’ve taken a straight shot through to make it to 104, were it not for the cluster of people in the way. Specifically, from the flash of light he saw between a pair, they were Players.

Not even a year ago, he wouldn’t have had any problem pawning off his Noise problem on them. As a matter of fact, he’d abandoned plenty of Players to their fates while he waited for Neku to arrive at Hachiko back then, because they hadn’t been worth it. Now, though, he could recognize that the Players who made it into the Game had some potential that could help Shibuya, even if there was no guarantee they would survive without Yoshiya dumping his Noise problem on them.

But it wasn’t his right to take that chance away from them.

So Yoshiya swerved before backtracking, veering off to the west end of the station. There was a faint pause in the buzzing of the hornets behind them, before they caught on and changed course. And while Suzume likely thought Yoshiya was putting himself into a dead end, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve to avoid trouble. It didn’t require his Composer abilities to take advantage of the little hidden pathways scattered between the streets. He’d make it to Hotaru, to 104, one way or another.

_I do hope you’re ready to continue after this, Suzume. Because while I may want to enjoy what it feels like to play, I don’t plan to lose._


	6. The Second Second Day: “Coordination & Ambush”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Second Second Day:

“Coordination & Ambush”

* * *

Waking up on the second morning was much less of a bother, considering that Yoshiya found Hotaru still resting on the street beside him. Unlike his drop into the Station Underpass the day before, Yoshiya was in the Scramble Crossing, the morning crowds already clustering to the streets. Without a mission mail to attend to, Yoshiya stood back and watched the people pass. Over the past year, he’d managed to remember the appeal of finding the symphony of Shibuya’s song amidst all the chaos. However, without the full brunt of his innate connection to the city as the Composer, watching the activity in the Crossing almost seemed quiet, the chatter and footsteps nothing but a murmur in comparison to what it could be.

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable with the lack of response, Yoshiya plucked the Player pin he’d brought along from his pocket, curling his hand over the smooth surface and opening his mind to the sea of thoughts around him. While a different method of scanning then he’d used back then, it still yielded the results he wanted. It wasn’t quite the same as hearing the full melody of the city, but instead like the muted effect of a set of headphones with the jack not quite plugged all the way in. Still, it was better than nothing, and Yoshiya flitted amongst the smattering of thoughts before him as Shibuya went on, leaving the resting Noise symbols be until Hotaru was conscious enough to fight alongside him.

His Scan also made it much easier to recognize when two people whose thoughts he _couldn’t_ read approached.

Loosening his grip on the Player Pin, Yoshiya opened his eyes. Sure enough, two Players were heading towards him, one with her hand raised in a casual wave. Crouching down, Yoshiya shook Hotaru’s shoulder, hoping to dislodge her from the grasp of sleep. “Hotaru-chan, we’ve got company. Time to rise and shine.”

Hotaru let out something like a groan and rolled over on her side. “Not yet…”

“Oh?” Yoshiya chuckled a bit. “I suppose you wouldn’t mind if I entertained our guests with some of your poetry, would you?”

 _That_ caught Hotaru’s attention, and she bolted up instantly, her face screwed up in the most fascinating combination of indignation and flushed embarrassment. “You wouldn’t dare!” she shouted, aiming a mock punch at Yoshiya’s arm before blinking and realizing where she was, a fresh groan spilling out of her lips. “That’s not funny, Yoshiya-san…”

He shrugged. “Maybe not, but it’s effective.” Hotaru pouted, but still accepted Yoshiya’s help with standing when he offered it. With both of them on their feet, Yoshiya faced the Pact that had finished wading their way through the crowd, and he flashed a smile at the pair. “Do pardon our rough start over here.”

Hotaru’s expression flicked between a few options for a moment before settling on a polite smile. “What he means is that it’s nice to see some other Players,” she said, a hand clutching onto her pin pouch. “I’m Tsukiko Hotaru, and this is my Partner—”

“Kiryu Yoshiya. Do feel free to call me Joshua.”

“Right, Tsukiko, Kiryu,” the girl in front said, crossing her arms over her chest. Upon closer inspection, she seemed to be a bit older than Hotaru, despite her still round face. She wore a simple purple dress with a dark belt cinched around her waist and a white cardigan draped over her shoulders. “I’m Mikumo Maki.” Yoshiya didn’t need have his capacity to read minds back to hear the _Do have some sense of manners and call me by my family name_ hanging off the end of her words.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Maki-chan.” Behind Maki, her presumed partner approached, a gently childing smile on her face. Mikumo frowned a bit but didn’t say anything in protest. The woman’s white hair hung slightly waved and loose, with a large round pair of glasses perched on her nose. She seemed about somewhere in her mid-twenties, but dressed much more casually than Maki, in a pair of jeans and a white shirt with black borders. “We’re glad to see other Players around, too,” the woman said, holding a palm to her chest. “I’m Sasaki Mio. It’s nice to meet you both.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hotaru said, flipping right into exchanging pleasantries mode and smoothing over her earlier outburst. She’d seemed to have gathered some sort of poise over the past few years. “Have you two seen any other Players around? I couldn’t tell how many more people there were yesterday…”

“I noticed at least a few other Players before I ran into you yesterday, Hotaru-chan,” Yoshiya said. Judging by the worry in her voice, she was still thinking about the boy who’d tried to Pact with her before. If only because he didn’t want her distracted by fretting the whole time, Yoshiya hoped the boy had managed to find a Pact. When Hotaru glanced at him, he put on a relaxed smile. “I’m sure that we’ll run into more if we keep playing like we’re supposed to.”

Mio nodded. “Maki-chan and I noticed a few others over by the West Exit Bus Terminal yesterday. Of course, we ended up passing out not too much long after, so we didn’t get the time to make any connections.”

“Apologies,” Yoshiya said, with a tad too much sarcasm. Hotaru nudged him in the side with a disappointed frown. Yes, she had grown a bit more over the past few years. While Yoshiya didn’t change his expression, he did at least reign in his tone. “Hotaru-chan and I were a bit at the head of the pack yesterday, so it looks like we made it to the goal first.”

Maki raised an eyebrow, her dark twin tails shifting as she tilted her head. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter much, so long as we all make it through the week,” she said, though her expression suggested otherwise. “Sure, the Reapers score us, but points won’t matter much if nobody clears the missions. We’ll just have to try a bit harder today, Sensei.”

“Agreed, Maki-chan,” Mio said, adjusting her glasses. “Now, Tsukiko-san, Joshua-kun, would you mind perhaps working with us, if the mission allows for it?”

Yoshiya was about to answer for them both before he caught Hotaru’s look. She wanted to help them, there was no doubt about that. He wasn’t sure just how much Sanae had been able to fill her in before shipping her off for Processing, but it didn’t matter. Even if it weren’t a Muse Game and it would have taken away her chances of winning, she would have worked with Maki and Mio anyways.

He tried not to think too much of how that contrasted with his own approach to the matter.

 _That’s the point,_ he reminded himself. And, then, before his silence became suspicious, “Well, Hotaru-chan?”

She jumped a bit, the surprise at having Yoshiya ask her opinion painting surprise all over her face. “Well, there’s a chance we won’t be able to handle some of the missions in time with just the two of us, right? If nothing else, we should work together if we ca—ah!”

Hotaru’s hand flew to her mouth, and Yoshiya spun around to follow her gaze, half expecting Suzume to have dropped another unpleasant Noise surprise on them before the mission even came in. To the side, Mio and Maki both tensed up as well, but relaxed again soon enough. A man stood in the Scramble Crossing, towering over even Mio’s taller than average height. His short dark hair stuck out from underneath an off-kilter Stetson hat, and the rest of his attire consisted of a vest, a red jacket that hung all the way down his legs, and dark jeans. But more striking than all of that was the red markings along his pale skin, almost like strokes from an oversized calligraphy brush.

Maki seemed to find her voice first. “Friend or foe?” she asked, something fierce lurking in her tone.

“Don’t be silly. Our friend here doesn’t have any Reaper wings, now does he?” Yoshiya asked with a giggle, earning himself a huff from Maki. “Perfect timing, really, we were just discussing forming an alliance so to speak.”

“Yo, ‘Puro, don’t go running off like that!” another voice called, bringing a fresh figure out of the crowd. Hotaru gasped again, though it was much quieter than the previous one. A boy ran up to the man’s side, nudging his fellow Player in the side. “What’re we gonna do if we end up caught in some Noise trap ag—hey!” The boy’s jaw dropped open as he pointed to both Yoshiya and Hotaru. “It’s you guys again!”

“Oh, you found a Partner! Thank goodness,” Hotaru said with a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, no thanks to ya,” the boy grumbled, kicking at the pavement. Hotaru balked a bit at the words, and the boy adjusted his ballcap with a grimace. “Ugh, whatever, I’m over it. Ya got your partner, and I got ‘Puro, so it’s all good, I guess.”

Mio clapped her hands together, the sunlight glinting off a ring on her finger. “Let’s just all be happy that we have this second chance, shall we?” she said. “Now, like Joshua-kun was saying—”

Their corner of the Scramble Crossing became a chorus of phones chiming in several different ringtones, including what sounded like a piece of dialogue from some anime or another. Part to keep up appearances and part because day two wasn’t as predictable as the first, Yoshiya flipped open his own phone with the rest of the gathered Players.

“‘Gather the following items and bring them to the place where the loyal one waits. You have two hours. Fail and face Erasure,’” Maki said, scrunching up her nose at the list unfurling on her phone—or maybe it was from the sudden sting of the timer appearing along everyone’s palms. “Ramen, hot dogs, pancakes… What, are we supposed to be a bunch of caterers?”

Orange Hat looked just as confused as he scratched his head. “What’s this ‘loyal one’ thing supposed to be anyways? Why couldn’t it be as obvious as it was yesterday? We can’t deliver anything if ya don’t tell us where to go.”

His partner shook his head. “We talked about this,” he said, speaking for the first time since he’d approached. Despite his size, the man’s voice rang out in a pleasant tenor. “If they make everything too straightforward, it won’t be a proper test of our Imagination.” The boy grimaced a bit but took the reprimand anyways. “But with that in mind, the end goal is the Statute of Hachiko.”

“I agree,” Mio said, and Hotaru nodded as well. Considering it was still early in the week, it wouldn’t do much good if the missions were too complicated, but even Yoshiya thought Suzume could have put a little more effort into things. Then again, he _had_ put her on rather short notice. Mio glanced back at her phone, once again reading over the list. “The problem is understanding where we can get everything. I believe only certain stores have the Sigils on them so we can enter, correct?”

“That’s right,” Yoshiya said, flicking his fingers up as he counted. “Currently, there are six different restaurants in Shibuya that are accessible for the Players.” Hotaru looked a bit confused by the number, and even the so called ‘Puro furrowed his brow. “By the looks of this menu, we’ll need to stop by most of them to fit the bill.”

Hotaru clutched onto her pin pouch, but she managed to find her voice. “W-with this time limit, though, we’ll need to split up the work.” She flushed a bit as all eyes turned to her, but she continued anyways. “We’ll have a much better chance of finishing on time if everyone plays a part. We can split up by Pacts and take of everything then…”

Mio adjusted her glasses. “That’s probably the best chance, yes. Joshua-kun, since you seem to know where we need to go, would you be so kind to share?” she asked, and Yoshiya nodded his assent. “Good. Before we get too far, though, we should make sure everyone knows each other. Would you two be so kind as to introduce yourselves?”

“Oh yeah,” Orange Hat said, as if he’d completely forgotten. “Uzumiku Shigehiro. Nice to meet ya. Feel free to call me Shige.”

“Hasekitsu Nepuro,” the man said, his yellow eyes falling on both Yoshiya and Hotaru. Soon everyone had repeated their names, all while their timers ticked off the seconds one by one. “Tsukiko-kun’s right and we don’t have much time to waste. I know for a fact that some of these items are from farther off in Cat Street. Uzumiku and I can head there. I have some things I need to take care of anyways.”

Yoshiya had been planning on dropping by Sanae for a visit as well, but there wasn’t much point in arguing. “Alright, then that leaves us needing to take care of the rest,” he said, consulting his phone once more. “It looks like we’ll need some pickup from Mexican Dog, Sunshine Burger, and the ramen shops in Dogenzaka.” Hotaru grimaced, and Yoshiya continued before Maki could even open her mouth. “You two wouldn’t mind taking care of those last ones, would you?”

“I’d mind if you bothered to give the rest of us a word in edgewise,” Maki said, toying with a jeweled pendant around her neck. “But, yeah, we can go take care of the ramen, so long as you and Tsukiko think you can run around enough and get back on time.”

“Don’t worry about it, Mikumo-san, Yoshiya-san and I can take care of it!” Hotaru said, pumping her fists.

“Then let’s not waste any more time,” Nepuro said, turning towards the department store exit and starting to stalk off. “Let’s go, Shige-kun. We’ll need to fight some Noise along the way to get some cash before we get to Cat Street. Don’t slow down.”

“Huh?” Shige did a doubletake at his rapidly retreating Partner, then chased off after him into the crowd. “Hey, ‘Puro, I told ya not to just run off like that. _‘Puro!_ ”

Mio let out a soft chuckle, slightly smiling. “Well, they should be fine. Let’s focus on our job, alright, Maki-chan?”

“Right, Sensei!”

And just like that, it was Yoshiya and Hotaru left in the Scramble Crossing, fifteen minutes already gone from their rather short-lived time. Yoshiya tucked his phone away in his pocket and turned to his Partner. “The clock’s ticking, Hotaru-chan. Let’s go pass this mission with flying colors, just like yesterday.”

Hotaru nodded, though her expression wasn’t nearly as determined as when she’d been trying to assuage Maki. “Right behind you, Yoshiya-san.”

“Want past this wall? Then bring me something sweet. Ice cream oughta do the trick. It’s a scorcher out here.”

Hotaru repressed a sigh at the instructions from the red-hooded Reaper blocking the way to Hachiko. She and Yoshiya had already picked up the requested menu items from Mexican Dog, since Spain Hill was a bit farther away than the Sunshine at Shibukyu Stationside, right next to their final destination. Unfortunately, with the wall in the way, it seemed that they’d need to change their plans.

Yoshiya crossed his arms, but he didn’t look too surprised, either. “Looks like we don’t have much of a choice, Hotaru-chan,” he said with a melodramatic sigh. “I was hoping to save some time, but we’ve got some extra work on our hands.”

Hotaru glanced at her palm, which was sinking farther away from the halfway point. “We should be okay on time, so long as we don’t need to fight too many more Noise,” she said. Yoshiya had insisted on some extra practice to help bring their powers closer in sync, plus they had stopped for lunch on their own. Thanks to the extra battling, though, they hopefully had more than enough yen to take care of their portion of the mission. Closing her fingers over the dwindling numbers, Hotaru glanced north towards the shape of 104 in the distance. “There’s still a Sunshine up in the Shibukyu Main Store, right? That’s not too far off.”

“Right you are. Let’s try and clear the path, then. It’d be a bit unfortunate if the others ran into the wall and we all got scattered as a result.”

That agreement in place, they struck out again, Hotaru trailing behind Yoshiya’s purposeful stride. Aside from a few necessary words, they had walked most of the time before in near silence. Despite being Partners, Hotaru found that she wasn’t sure just what to say to him. Small talk didn’t seem right, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask the questions that had stirred up along with the doubts in the back of her head. They’d survived well enough against the Noise so far, but Yoshiya had mentioned that his powers were still present as more of a trickle than anything else.

 _I mean, what else did he expect? Talking like I’m something special when I can’t even do things I should be able to. Mikumo-san and Sasaki-san had to take care of the complicated stuff because I’m a coward._ _I know there’s not a choice when it comes to winning, but can I really pull this off?_

Lost in thought, Hotaru just barely stopped herself from running straight into Yoshiya. “Doing alright there, Hotaru-chan?” he asked, a mild curiosity seeping into his words. “Don’t tell me you haven’t shaken off that slow start from this morning yet.”

Hotaru sighed; was there a reason that Yoshiya never let anyone live down the little things? “Just thinking.” When Yoshiya waiting for her to elaborate, Hotaru just shrugged. Trust your partner or no, they didn’t have time for her to spill her anxieties all over the place. “It’s weird to be in the Reaper’s Game again after all this time, that’s all.” Not wanting to see the look of disbelief on Yoshiya’s face, Hotaru stepped towards Shibukyu’s main entrance. “Come on, we need to get back before the others, right?”

“If you insist.” Yoshiya followed close behind her, and soon they were inside the building’s Sunshine Burger with the faint sounds of a radio playing the top pop tracks in the background. The mission had started early enough for them to avoid the lunch rush, so there was hardly anyone in the store, giving them a straight shot towards the counter. Within a few moments, someone had stepped up to the counter, his shock of orange hair haphazardly held up by the rim of his uniform visor.

“Welcome to Sunshi—” he started, then the words cut off in his throat as he stared at Yoshiya. “Josh.”

“Neku-kun,” Yoshiya said, raising a hand in a short wave. “That uniform looks charming on you. As much as I’d love to catch up, we’re rather short on time here. Would you mind terribly helping us out? We’d like to order to go.”

The redhead—Neku—mouthed _order to go_ , his lips forming a few other unfinished syllables. “I haven’t heard a single word from you since back then, and you want to order _to go_? Just like that?” At last, he seemed to recognize Hotaru standing beside him, and his eyes narrowed—not at her, but the line of pins attached to her collar. “You’re a Player?” he asked.

“Ah, yes—”

“What are you even doing?” Fists pressed against the counter, Neku rounded back towards Yoshiya. “Is this the part where you tell me that last year was some sort of joke? That you go around running some stupid Proxy game whenever you get bored?” _Proxy?_ Effectively kicked out of the conversation, Hotaru glanced towards Yoshiya.

Her Partner didn’t look perturbed in the slightest, tucking his hair back into place. “Don’t go confusing this for that, Neku-kun. What happened with you was a special exception.”

“Yeah, because I felt so damn special—”

“Don’t get so worked up. You’re on the clock, aren’t you?” Neku’s face twisted as he held back his words, instead sucking in a deep breath. Yoshiya giggled. “Much better. Like I said, I would love to catch up, but time isn’t on our sides today. We just need to pick some things up, and we’ll be out of your hair. Hotaru-chan?”

Taking that as her cue to place their order, Hotaru fumbled for her phone. “Um, let’s see—”

“Hold up,” Neku said, and Yoshiya sighed once more. Trying to ease some of the tension from his shoulders, Neku looked at Hotaru, his blue eyes shining with something that reminded her of Amber’s earnestness. “Listen, if you’re on a mission, I’m not going to get in your way. But if this guy—” he jerked a thumb towards Yoshiya “—is really your Partner, you deserve to know. This may not make a lot of sense, but he’s the—”

“I know,” Hotaru said, before he could even say the word _Composer_. It seemed wrong to say the title out loud where anyone could hear it. Neku’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline. Hotaru took a breath to steady herself, then put on a smile. “I know, Neku-san, so don’t worry.” And then, because she felt like it was right: “I’m here because I want to be, okay?” She may have doubted herself, but she had still chosen the path she was on.

Thankfully, that had been the right thing to say, and Neku reset his expression. “Right, sorry,” he said, though more to her than Yoshiya. “Welcome to Sunshine, what can I get started for you today?”

Hotaru read off the updated list on her phone, making sure to add the ice cream at the end so they could get past the Wall blocking the path to Hachiko. Neku punched in the items on the register dutifully, and Hotaru pulled the necessary yen from her pouch. “Thanks, Neku-san. We really appreciate it.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Neku passed back her change, avoiding eye contact all the way. “That’ll be ready for you in just a few minutes. If you want to take a seat, we’ll call for you when it’s ready.” With that, he retreated to the bagging station, not bothering to say anything else to Yoshiya. Hotaru glanced to her Partner, who smiled at her the second he realized she was watching him.

“My former Partner,” he said by way of explanation, though it just brought up even more questions. “It’s a rather long story. Wouldn’t want to bore you with it.”

Hotaru was about to call him out for trying to gloss over the subject before she remembered that she’d done the same thing. So she clutched onto her pin pouch, swallowing the reprimand. True to Neku’s word, it was only a few minutes before he passed them their order. There was a somewhat awkward smile on his face, but worry in his eyes.

_What in the world happened to make them act like that if they were Partners?_

* * *

On the way back towards Hachiko, Hotaru and Yoshiya managed to rendezvous with Mikumo and Sasaki, both toting around several bowls of to-go ramen. Hotaru felt a bit guilty, since the total cost had to have been much higher than what she and Yoshiya had spent on their fast food fare. Then again, a mission was a mission, so it really only mattered that they made it through the wall. Soon enough, all four of them and their loads were scattered around the statue of Hachiko.

“The boys are running late,” Mikumo said, staring down the route to the Scramble as if she could make Hasekitsu and Shige appear with the force of her gaze alone. Hotaru sat against the base of Hachiko, getting a front row view of Mikumo tapping her foot against the ground. “How long does it take to buy some breakfast?”

Sasaki patted Mikumo’s shoulder. “Don’t be so hasty,” the older woman said. “We still have a decent amount of time before we need to finish up here. Let’s give them a few more minutes, alright?”

“But, Sensei, what if they got themselves Erased? We could lose the mission if we don’t have enough time to pick up what we need.”

Though it was a valid concern, Hotaru grimaced. Sitting beside her, Yoshiya shrugged. “I don’t think that’s very likely,” he said, not even bothering to look up from his phone. If Hotaru wasn’t mistaken, she agreed with his assessment. “It’s possible to make good time to and back from Cat Street. I’m sure they’re just taking care of some extra things, that’s all.”

Mikumo frowned. “What could be more important than finishing up the mission? Our lives are on the line here.” _And a little bit more than that for us,_ Hotaru thought, glancing at her Partner. Mikumo leaned over, hands on her hips as she stared down Yoshiya. “Is it just me, or do you know a lot more about this Game than the rest of us?”

Yoshiya at last looked up, only to smirk. “What do you think?”

 _There he goes again._ “What Yoshiya-san means is that we’re repeat Players,” Hotaru said. The stern expression melted right off Mikumo’s face, and Yoshiya near pouted at Hotaru, like he was disappointed she’d ruined his fun. “We’ve both done this before, that’s all.” It was much easier explaining that than admitting Yoshiya was the Composer and Hotaru was trying to earn a spot in the Reapers.

“Well, that’s…” Mikumo trailed off, righting herself with an awkward cough. “You could’ve just said that in the first place, you know…”

“Oh, here come the others,” Sasaki said, waving to someone else in the crowd.

Hotaru stood up and brushed off her skirt, just in time to see Shige and Hasekitsu emerge from the crowd, take out bags from WildKat in their hands. Shige held up his own triumphantly, a grin stretching over his face. “The cavalry has arrived!”

“That’s not what that expression means, but it doesn’t matter,” Hasekitsu said. The faint look of amusement in his eyes softened the harsh impression of the red lines painted across his face. “We gathered up everything on our list, so I assume you all have, too?”

“Yeah, and we were waiting on your sorry butts to show up,” Mikumo said, crossing her arms. Still, her voice didn’t have much bite to it.

“Hey, we pulled through, right?” Shige said, that carefree grin still on his face. “’Sides, ‘Puro went and got us something awesome, so—”

“Yes, yes, great, we can chat around when we’re not wasting time.” Mikumo snagged the WildKat bags away from the pair and plopped them down with the rest of the offering they’d gathered on the base of the statue. “One obnoxious shopping list delivered to the loyal one—Hachiko himself,” she said, dusting off her hands. “Mission complete.”

Though she said that, the sinking feeling in Hotaru’s gut told her differently. “Not yet,” she said, seeing the numbers on her palm still counting down and spinning to look behind her. “There’s still—”

“—ooooone more thing you gotta take care of.”

Perched on a windowsill a few floors above the Shibukyu Stationside entrance was a Reaper in a yellow hoodie, dark pants cuffed at the bottom, and a black bandana covering their face, with dark messenger bag slung over their shoulder. On the window beside them stood another Reaper, the hood of their short-sleeved hoodie down and their yellow bandana tied around their head. The second Reaper had one hand holding onto the edge of the window and was hanging off the edge, their black skeletal wings stretched out behind them.

“Sorry,” the black hooded Reaper said, their voice coming out in a clear soprano. “You guys did a good job getting this far, but we can’t make it easy on you. So it’s time for the combat round, yeah?” Pulsing red symbols clustered in the sky, and Hotaru and the others all tensed up, ready for the fight to come. “Sucks to be you, but we rolled the initiative this round. Best of luck!”

And before anyone could get in a word edgewise, the Noise came down upon them.

The second they hit the Noise Plane, Hotaru summoned a psych, creating an electric barrier around herself, with massive sparks flinging out towards the enemy Noise. Sasaki and Shige had ended up on the same plane as her, and their enemies looked to be mostly the hornets again, with a few wolves and corehogs mixed in. “This barrier won’t last long! What do you guys specialize in?”

“I’m a short range fighter,” Sasaki said, a cool edge entering her voice. “You, Shige-kun?”

“Huh, me?” Shigehiro fumbled a bit, his eyes darting around the oncoming Noise. “I can hit and slash things?”

Hotaru nodded, getting ready to swap to her next psych. “I can fight from a distance. Keep the enemies off me, and I’ll cover you.”

“Roger,” Sasaki said. Then Hotaru’s electricity barrier fell and Sasaki shot off, the shape of a tail forming at her back. “Haaah!” Despite it looking like it was twice the woman’s size, she launched herself up into the air, swinging the extra appendage around with ease to knock several of the Noise across the field.

Seeing that several enemies were going to land in the same spot, Hotaru threw out her hand and set the concrete aflame. _Burn!_

Shige glanced back and forth between the two a few times, still not looking accustomed to battle in the slightest. “A-alright, me, too! Ya won’t beat me!” he shouted, sounding like he was trying to convince himself more than anything as he charged off towards the nearest hornet. “ _Ichimonji!_ ” he cried before unleashing a flurry of blows upon the Noise. Hotaru shot off a bolt from Lightning Rook the moment she could, then set about mowing down as many enemies as she could before they got close to her.

 _“On your right, Hotaru-chan,”_ Yoshiya’s voice echoed inside her head as she was in the middle of shooting a thunderstorm psych through several of the hornets surrounding Sasaki. Hotaru jumped, taking a swipe from the gray blur of a Garage Wolf as it blasted past her. Thankfully, Sasaki didn’t balk at the loss of cover, instead encasing her hand in a thick blade and slicing through the Noise before her. “ _I’m starting to get a better sense of where you are in the other plane, even if my offensive power is still limited. It’s more than workable, though.”_

“Alright,” Hotaru said through a huff as she threw up her electricity barrier once more, effectively staying the wolf as it approached again and the hornet that had come in its wake. “So what does that mean for us?”

 _“It means that you should just keep going as you are.”_ Even if he’d explained that he used his phone to activate his psyches, it was still unfair how out of breath he sounded. _“I’ll pay close attention to your attacks and we can mow down the same enemies.”_ Hotaru nodded, too busy shooting up a column of fire near Shige to give him some breathing room as he slashed at the enemies with a panicked sort of enthusiasm. _“I think you should be able to do it, too, Hotaru-chan, but maybe it’ll be better when we don’t—”_

_“Shige-kun, it’s time to go.”_

_“Ya got it, ‘Puro!”_

The world lit up in a flash of light, and Hotaru had to throw up a hand to shield her eyes, her latest psych forgotten. Something almost like a howl met her ears before the sound faded into the distance. By the time Hotaru could dee again, the Noise were gone, and everyone was touching foot back on the ground beside the statute of Hachiko.

“‘Puro, that was so damn awesome!” Shigehiro bounced on his heels, almost knocking his ballcap right off his head. Beside him, Hasekitsu was adjusting his own hat back into place. “Just like you said, that Fusion thing—”

“What the hell was that?!” Mikumo said, clutching onto the emerald pendant around her neck. Despite her almost scared posture, she still had the strength to glare daggers at the Pact that had just effectively ended the battle.

“Maki-chan,” Sasaki said at the same time Hotaru asked, “What was what?”

“You didn’t see that?!” Mikumo said, flinging an accusatory finger in Hasekitsu’s direction. “That wasn’t—”

But the words never came out of her mouth, because the Timers vanished, and all six of them slipped into the darkness.

* * *

Trying to ignore the sheer amount of _life_ pulsing through the air of Shibuya in comparison to her home, Yuina finished making her way down Cat Street and pushed open the door to WildKat. She may not have stepped into this particular iteration of the café before, but the smells of fresh coffee and pastries were familiar enough. Sanae had made a welcoming little corner of Shibuya for himself and others, but Yuina didn’t allow herself to relax as she marched up to the counter.

“Well I’ll be damned,” Sanae said like he thought it was funny. Yuina curled her hands into fists and didn’t laugh. “Come on, Yui, is that any sort of look to give someone you haven’t seen in a while? How about I get you some coffee, and we can catch up—”

“I know about the Muse Game,” Yuina said, and keeping her voice under control was more of a struggle than she liked to admit. Sanae’s carefree grin dropped. At her sides, Yuina’s fists started to tremble. “Sanae, you know what could happen. Why did you tell your Composer—”

“Easy there, Yui,” Sanae said, holding up a hand. Yui held her tongue, hoping that he had some reasonable explanation for what was going on. “I wasn’t the one that told Josh about anything. He decided to do this all on his own.”

 _Yes, because that makes things so much better._ “And you let him do it.”

“What can I say?” Sanae shrugged, that easy smile working its way back onto his face. “The time seemed right for it, and he found a good Muse candidate. It’s a Producer’s job to help their portion of the UG grow. You have the same position I do; you know that.”

“I _had_ the same position,” Yuina said, pressing her knuckles against the café’s countertop. “And then we got the bright idea to try the exact same thing, and look what happened!” If the café weren’t empty, Yuina would have worried about raising her voice. As things were, she let the panic she’d kept trapped inside all these years spill out. “I don’t _have_ a portion of the UG to look out for anymore, Sanae! And you—you went ahead and Fell to protect this place, and you’re just letting your Composer throw it all away.”

Sanae took the tirade without so much as a peep. Yuina could never decide if she admired or hated his ability to keep calm under pressure. “Look, I get why you’re worried,” he said, the even tone his voice almost enough to make her believe that things were okay. “But Josh and I talked it over, plus I checked out his Muse candidate. I think they’ve got what it takes, Yui.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Yuina asked, looking Sanae in the eyes as best she could with those sunglasses in the way. His mouth opened, but she didn’t let him get out the words. “If you’re wrong, Shibuya’s going to be done for, and more of Tokyo’s going to crumble with it. Narumi isn’t going to stand by if you keep this up, Sanae. You and your Composer already upset everyone upstairs enough! I—” Realizing what she was about to say, Yuina sucked in a breath instead. “I want you to stop this. You’re connected enough to Shibuya that you can pull it off. Back out before it’s too late, Sanae.”

The two looked at each other, and Yuina knew his answer without him even needing to say anything. Knowing there wasn’t any point in continuing the conversation, Yuina turned on her heel and headed for the door. If Sanae wouldn’t listen to reason, then she’d go talk to someone else that would.

“Yui,” Sanae said, and she stopped with her hand on the door, “I know this doesn’t look good, but it’ll be alright. You gotta trust your Partner, right?”

A lump formed in her throat at the words—at the way it reminded her of the way the world had seemed so open and free back then, like nothing could go wrong.

“I did trust my Partner,” she said, making sure it was loud enough for Sanae to hear as she stepped outside. “I just wish that my Partner had trusted me.”

* * *

**[Five Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The Second Second Day Bonus Episode

“Ramen & Bookish”

* * *

Mikumo Maki looked at the menu, looked at the list on her phone, and looked to the menu again. Sure enough, she had been reading their mission instructions right, and it seemed that the Game Master had decided it would be a good idea to make then purchase the most expensive thing on the menu. While Maki had never really gone through the experience of being short on money, that didn’t mean she liked spending in excess if she could help it.

 _No wonder Kiryu shoved this place off on us; he didn’t want to pay the bill,_ she thought, staring down the menu like it would somehow change the price. Too bad that didn’t seem to be a psych. _But if I don’t, then saving isn’t going to do me any good._ So she went ahead and bought the damn ramen, all 5000 yen of, it and gave her thanks to the guy at the counter before she left.

On the streets of Dogenzaka, people were chattering on the streets, talking about fashion, what to have for lunch, and the upcoming shows at the A-East concert hall. Maki had been one of them until not too long ago, and yet no one recognized her as they passed. As far as the rest of the world was concerned, she didn’t exist.

 _No, not quite the rest of the world._ One of Maki’s hands tightened around the carry out bag handle, while the other toyed with the pendant around her neck. _Sensei’s here with me. And Mama doesn’t even know I’m gone at all._ How could she, when she had become Maki’s Entry Fee?

Dwelling on it wouldn’t get her any closer to winning, though, so Maki pushed the thoughts aside and met back up with her Partner, who had gotten distracted in the secondhand store with a Sigil on it a few buildings over. “Sensei, I got what we needed.”

Sensei looked up from the book in her hands, and a poof of dust emerged when she shut the pages. “Oh, that was fast, Maki-chan!” she said, tucking the hardcover back onto its shelf. Though she may not have looked it, Sasaki Mio was a skilled practitioner of mixed martial arts, and she had been teaching Maki for some time. Sensei trotted over to Maki’s, a kind smile across her face. “Only one bowl, hm? Then the rest that we need should be from the shop we passed earlier.”

“Yeah, I think so.” Maki was about to reach for her phone to check the time, but the timer on her palm meant she didn’t have much need to. Even if they still had more than an hour to take care of things, looking at the tattoo-like marks made her nervous. “I’m willing to bet it’s a lot cheaper than this stuff, too. Let’s pick up lunch there.” _Who needs a while steak on their ramen anyways?_

Sensei nodded, a lock of her snow white hair between her fingers. “We might as well, since we got so much extra yen fighting the Noise,” she said. Maki glanced at the shop keep to make sure that he hadn’t heard, but the man’s afro didn’t so much as twitch. Just how did the Reapers pick which shops were open to Players, anyways? “Ah, we haven’t gone out for ramen together in a while, Maki-chan. This’ll be fun!”

When Sensei smiled, Maki found herself smiling, too. The woman’s enthusiasm was contagious. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Maki said, leading the way outside of the secondhand store and down the street. “We’ll pick up lunch, then we’ll go ahead and buy what we need for the mission. I haven’t had a good bowl of shio in a while.”

“Then let’s get going. Oh, are your reflexes still alright, Maki-chan? I’ll race you!”

“Ahh, not fair, I’m carrying ramen here!” Maki said, but Sensei was already halfway down the street, her hair fluttering behind her. Maki did her best to catch up without upending her cargo on the street, Sensei’s laughter floating through the air. And out of breath, Maki wheezed out a laugh of her own.

When they were together like this, Maki could almost forget that they were dead.


	7. The Second Third Day:  “Dissonance & Unison”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Second Third Day:

“Dissonance & Unison”

* * *

Yuina stood in the Scramble Crossing, staring down the door to the Outback Café. In the new morning light, there were hardly any people around, but even the few early risers that passed by couldn’t see Yuina; hell, even an Officer Reaper would have a difficult time noticing the frequency that she’d tuned herself to. With that in mind, it wasn’t any surprise that the girl dressed for work walked right past Yuina as she knocked on the door to be let in.

A few minutes trickled by, but Yuina knew how to be patient. This was actually her second time trying to visit the Outback, but the place had been closed the previous day by the time she’d failed to talk some sense into Sanae. If Yuina had really wanted to, she could have used her abilities to enter the building despite the locked doors, but that was something one didn’t just go and do, especially if the person you wanted to visit would notice your presence immediately.

Just as the woman happened to do when she came to unlock the door for the girl.

There was a moment when Yuina met eyes with Reiko on the other side of the glass—and then the other woman didn’t skip a beat as she opened the entrance. “Morning, Kaori-chan,” Reiko said, waving the girl inside. For a moment, Yuina thought that Reiko might close the door on her, but she held it open for a few beats longer, leaving plenty of time for Yuina to step inside. “Would you mind finishing up the kitchen prep? We still have some bento ingredients we need to take care of.”

“You got it, Rikamizu-sama!” Kaori said, flashing a salute and heading to the back with gusto. Both women watched her go, and Yuina stayed silent until she was certain it was alright to speak.

“Sanae told me you’d be passing by,” Reiko said after a short twinge of power in Yuina’s senses let her know her fellow former Producer had tweaked it so her employee couldn’t overhear their conversation. While dressed in a nice suit and having her chocolate hair tucked back into a neat bun, Reiko gave off a completely different atmosphere to Kaguya’s unyielding professionalism. “You know you don’t have to be such a stranger. We’re practically neighbors.”

Yuina didn’t bother to comment on that remark; she’d made it perfectly clear why she wanted to stay in Ikebukuro. Even now, it didn’t feel right, leaving the ward without anyone to look over it. “If Sanae told you I was coming, then he had to tell you what I was coming for,” Yuina said. The rustic yet chic décor sat silent with her words. “Reiko, I know we don’t go too far back, but—”

“But you think this little Muse Game Sanae and Josh are getting up to is a bad idea, hm?” Reiko said, tapping a finger against her temple. While she may have not known Reiko as well as she knew Sanae, Yuina could still tell this conversation would be just as futile as the last. “Look. Sanae and I both get where you’re coming from. We really do. But even if I thought this was a bad idea, I still wouldn’t be able to do a thing about it. I lost my influence over Shibuya ages ago.”

 _Yes, but I could still use your support when it comes to convincing Sanae._ It wouldn’t do much good to pour salt on the wound, so Yuina simply raised an eyebrow. “You think this is a good idea?”

Reiko bobbed her head once, flicking her fingers through the air in a two fingered salute. “You should know by now that I’d rather use what power I have than let it go to waste. Yoshiya may have decided I wasn’t what was best for Shibuya, but that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t take the opportunity in front of him.” She gave a smile that was completely different to but far too much like Sanae’s for Yuina’s tastes. “Say, Yuina, wouldn’t you say there’s a better use for your energy than coming and bugging us in Shibuya?”

“What are you implying?”

“Oh, just that if you’re as concerned with things like what’s going to happen to Tokyo and the rest of the UG, then you woulda gone ahead and started rebuilding Ikebukuro on your own.” Yuina’s nails bit into her palms as she fought to keep her expression even. Either Reiko didn’t notice (of course she did) or she didn’t care (that was much more likely). “You know Sanae and I would be willing to help you out with that. I don’t like seeing a ward empty any more than you do. That potential mess in Shinjuku was bad enough.”

Yuina frowned. “I don’t see you going and lecturing Shinjuku’s Producer.”

“That would be because Shinjuku’s Producer isn’t paying me visits at the crack of dawn doing the higher up’s dirty work,” Reiko said with a flash of teeth that wasn’t quite joyful but not quite predatory either.

“If you know that, then why are you being so difficult?” Yuina asked, her voice on the verge of trembling. “You know that I’m the _nice_ version, right? If someone doesn’t stop this Muse Game, then they will. How can you be so calm?”

“Hm?” Reiko tilted her head in a fashion not unlike a cat watching a fish as it swam past. “Well, I suppose it’s because I think that Kaguya and Narumi are just as misguided as you are. You may be acting with good intentions, but that doesn’t mean any of you know what’s best.” Reiko shrugged, tossing up a wave and slinking towards the back of the shop. “You’re more than welcome to stay for coffee, but I shouldn’t leave Kaori-chan to handle all the work by herself. Just relax. Our Composer’s a crafty one. No matter what happens, he and his Partner this go ‘round will handle it.” Just before she was about to disappear behind the counter, Reiko tossed a chocolate colored glance over her shoulder. “And even if he doesn’t, _I_ don’t plan to let Shibuya fall apart so easily.”

And then she was gone, leaving Yuina with only a heavy feeling in her chest and a bitter taste in her mouth.

* * *

Hotaru was the second one to wake up again, as Yoshiya was leaning against a nearby phone booth when she came to. While she would have liked to get up before him for once, it was better than his rude awakening from the day before. _Seriously, threatening to show off my poems like that_ —not that he could, since she’d left her messenger bag at WildKat. Even so, with his Composer abilities, would retrieving them be so much of an impossibility?

 _Or that’d be the case if he could_ do _anything as the Composer,_ she thought. _Two days in a Pact and all we’ve got is some measly battle awareness. Sure, I couldn’t do anything like that last time, but it’s still not even close enough to what he’s capable of._ Hotaru played with her pin pouch and let out a sigh. _Maybe I’m not suited for this after all…_

“Don’t look so down, Hotaru-chan. The day’s only just started.” Hotaru looked up at Yoshiya’s casual tone, though he had a slight frown on his face. “Though I suppose that we may end up having troubles. It looked to me like Maki-chan was about to have a conniption when we dropped.”

The reminder stirred up the last of Hotaru’s still bleary consciousness as she remembered the end of the previous mission. While they’d won thanks to Hasekitsu and Shige’s Fusion, Mikumo hadn’t seemed too happy about the results. “Was everything okay on your side?” Hotaru asked. She hadn’t had too many troubles, but that was mostly because she’d had Sasaki and Shige around to cover her weaknesses. “I mean, you sounded like you were doing alright…”

Yoshiya nodded. “Yes, well, _I_ didn’t see anything wrong with what happened. Though I suppose to a normal Player—” Their ringtones went off, two sounds in midst of Molco. “Ah, well. It shouldn’t be as much of a big deal as Maki-chan thinks it is, but I think our little alliance may have some problems getting off the ground today. Then again, how big a deal that will be depends on the mission anyways.”

Not fully convinced, Hotaru flipped open her phone anyways. _Seek the enemies stationed throughout Shibuya. You’ll find the path you seek along Route 1. You have 300 minutes. Fail and face erasure._

Hotaru furrowed her brow as she read over the words one more time. “Route one…” Hadn’t she heard that somewhere before?

“That’s the way towards the Shibuya River,” Yoshiya said, not even needing to think about it. Considering they were near Molco, it wasn’t the worst walk across the city they could have, but not quite next door. “I didn’t see anyone else nearby before we woke up, so it looks like we should probably head that direction.”

“Wait.” Hotaru closed her eyes, digging back into her memory. She’d tried so hard to forget her first Game, but something was still nagging at the back of her mind. Yoshiya waited on her in silence, and Hotaru snapped her fingers. “I think I remember. This is like last time. Yesterday’s mission was like that, too!”

“Oh? I’m impressed you remember the details, Hotaru-chan.” Oddly enough, Yoshiya didn’t seem like he was being sarcastic. “You’re saying that you went the same way during your first week, then?”

The details back in her mind, Hotaru nodded. “I remember because the fight down at the West Exit Bus Terminal wasn’t the end of it. We took down the enemies there, then we got a clue about where to go next…” The mission had had them running around most of Shibuya, and they’d just managed to slip under the time limit. “I might just be guessing, but maybe the mission’s laid out the same way as before?”

It sounded silly when she said it out loud, but Yoshiya thought it over with possibly more consideration than the suggestion was worth. “Hm, yes, that would make sense,” he said, his brow slightly furrowed in thought. “If the mission uses the Reaper route numbers, then you and I already have the advantage to finding our targets. But if this mission parallels your previous one…”

“...then we might be able to head off the enemies on our own and finish up early,” Hotaru finished, poking her gloved fingers together. “I wouldn’t mind doing things the traditional way, but we might be able to better help the others out if we can find the final enemy first.”

“Well, I don’t have any opposition to that.” Yoshiya snapped his phone shut, and Hotaru tucked hers away as well. “If we happen to be wrong, we can just hop on board with the others. So, where are we headed?”

Unaccustomed to being in the lead, Hotaru took a second to catch her bearings. “Um, if I remember correctly, the order of enemies was the Bus Terminal, Towa Records, then finishing in Udagawa.” Glancing around their surroundings, Hotaru could see that the way towards Cadoi City was clear, but a support Reaper was guarding the entrance to Spain Hill. “We should be able to cut across that way. Wanna do that instead of going the long way around?”

Yoshiya swept a hand forward. “Be my guest, Hotaru-chan. I’m trusting this mission to you.”

And while Hotaru felt a bit of pressure at the words, part of her still swelled up in pride.

* * *

A few cleared away walls and a shopping trip later, Yoshiya followed behind Hotaru as she led the way into the open expanse of Tipsy Tose Hall. The sunlight reflected off the buildings of the windows overhead, and a few people slipped into the nearby eye doctor’s storefront. Being summer, plenty of people were gathered around the nearby game corner, and even a few kids played Tin Pin out on the streets.

“Well, it looks like the next route doesn’t have a wall waiting for us to clear it,” Yoshiya said, toying with the ends of the white scarf he’d draped around his shoulders for the last Support Reaper. The fabric was light, and it didn’t contrast too much with the rest of his attire, so he figured he’d leave it be for now. “We might as well keep moving.”

Hotaru nodded, tugging down the ribbon she’d temporarily attached to her hair in the process. Considering that it clashed horribly with the rest of her attire, Yoshiya didn’t blame her. “Hopefully I’m not wrong about this,” she said, rubbing her forearm. She seemed a bit more reserved than usual today.

“The worst thing that could happen is that we lose a few points for wasting time.” Hotaru looked at him like she could think of a few other worse outcomes, but Yoshiya didn’t bother to entertain those—or even the real worst outcomes that could happen if the Muse Game went awry. Things may have been progressing a bit slower than his expectations, but there weren’t any real setbacks so far. “Fussing won’t do us any good. Let’s see what we can take care of in Udagawa.”

“Right.” Yoshiya watched Hotaru suck in a breath to steel herself, but she stopped partway through her turn, her eyes flashing in recognition. “Oh, Hasekitsu-san, Shige-san!”

Glancing over his shoulder, Yoshiya found the familiar Pact approaching from the AMX entrance. “Oh, hey, we found someone else!” Shigehiro said, jogging forward, Nepuro close on his heels. “Ya two doing okay today? There’s walls up everywhere.”

“Oh, we’ve managed,” Yoshiya said, flicking the end his scarf over his shoulder. “It seems that you two happened to have the same idea as we did, considering you’re rather off the charted course. Planning on deviating from our Game Master’s path, are we?”

“I’ve seen this before,” Nepuro said with a shrug. “Besides, I thought you two might have the same idea. I wanted to pass you this.” Nepuro dug his hand into his pocket, then offered out a pure white pin that almost blended into the pale color of his skin. “I picked some of these up from Mr. H yesterday. Wasn’t sure if you still had your own Fusion Pin.”

Yoshiya hadn’t bothered to bring one along, mostly because he’d gotten used to Neku carrying the thing. Hotaru looked disquieted for a moment, but she accepted the pin anyways. “Thank you, Hasekitsu-san. I didn’t carry it back then, so we needed one.” She managed to put on a fresh smile, though, even as she clipped the pin to the back of her pouch for safekeeping. “You two haven’t seen Sasaki-san and Maki-san, have you?”

“Nope,” Shigehiro said, crossing his arms behind his head. “’Puro was gonna give them a pin yesterday, too, but that Mikumo chick went ahead and set off those Reapers before he could. We were hoping to pass them one and give some to any other Pacts we could find today, but ya two are the first ones we found.”

Considering the turnout for yesterday’s mission, Yoshiya could guess there weren’t any other Players left, but Nepuro hadn’t decided to tell Shigehiro that. With the look that Hotaru tossed his way, Yoshiya decided to pull back from saying anything to that effect, either.

“I think it’d be good for Sasaki-san and Maki-san to get a pin, too, but they could be anywhere in Shibuya by now,” Hotaru said. Given her tone, it was clear she was still thinking about Maki’s outburst from after the last mission, but she exercised much more tact that Yoshiya could lay claim to. “Um, if you two don’t mind, could you help us with checking out Udagawa? Since we’re all here, it’ll be a waste to not have some extra power behind us.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Nepuro said, and Shige bobbed his head in approval. The taller man took a quick glance at his palm. “We have plenty of time, but we should keep moving. Even if we clear out the battle here, we’ll still need to handle whatever’s left afterwards.”

With that decided, the quartet set off at a jog towards Shibu-Q Heads. His coat flapping against his long legs, Nepuro regularly pulled back on his stride so as not to leave the others behind. Yoshiya kept tabs on Hotaru, who, while still worried, seemed to have composed herself for the moment. Just as they were passing the game corner, though, a Wall flashed into existence. Yoshiya managed to catch onto Hotaru’s wrist before she smashed right into it, but Shige wasn’t so lucky. The boy let out a groan as he rubbed his nose, trying his best to not sink to the ground.

“Well lookie heeeeere,” a familiar soprano rang out from behind them. Sure enough, the pair of Reapers from yesterday were coming up the street, the one with her bandana tied around her head practically waltzing. “Just like GM said, we’ve got a batch of cheaters hanging around here. Don’t you know that you’re supposed to follow instructions before you charge into the final boss?”

Nepuro’s eyes narrowed into yellow slits as he tugged his hat into place. “And get worn down by facing all the little underlings first? Yeah, no thanks,” he said, the red on his skin flashing as he waved the Reapers off. “How about you go ahead and tell your GM that if they don’t want ‘cheaters,’ they should be more creative.”

Yoshiya could just imagine Suzume’s reaction to that suggestion—just as well as he could imagine what she was trying to accomplish—but he stifled his giggle regardless. “Now, now, Nepuro-kun, no sense in trying to reason with the riffraff,” he said with a smirk. “They’re too busy trying to impress their boss. It’ll be better to just show them we won’t back down to such a paltry vanguard.”

“You think you’re so tough, dontcha?” the Reaper said, spreading out her wings as she reached for her gun. “Well then, let’s see how you like this. Ro-tan, let’s go!”

The yellow hooded Reaper behind the first didn’t say a word, simply charged forward. More so than before, Yoshiya could feel the way his own Soul shifted as they all were forced to retune their frequencies. Hotaru was on the other side of their Pact, still wavering but ready enough for battle. It seemed that Nepuro had gone with her this time, leaving Yoshiya with Shigehiro on his Plane.

“What the hell, we’re fighting _Reapers_ now?!” Shigehiro shouted, his eyes darting around the field. “I thought they were only allowed to use Noise to come at us!”

“Sorry, sorry,” the Reaper said, appearing right between the two. “But Ro-tan and I got special orders from the boss.” She licked her lips, revealing the glint of a silver piercing through her tongue. “That means you two get to go down this time. Sorry, but there’s no more character rerolls after _this_!” Lashing out with her gun, the Reaper knocked Shigehiro right across the head, sending him tumbling. Yoshiya didn’t hesitate, punching in the digits on his phone to send a torrent of safety cones and shop signs raining down on her position. A few hit their mark, but she vaulted out of the way moments later. “Listen up, pretty boy, you gotta wait your turn, aight?”

 _So they are trying to target me, but our GM can’t leave Hotaru-chan without a Partner. This’ll only work if they can take out one of them first._ Not wanting to give the Reaper a chance to recover, Yoshiya continued to send his trash assault sweeping over the battlefield. “Shige-kun, this is no time to just lie there,” he said, not once taking his eyes off the enemy. “If you expect to make it out of this one, might I suggest you pull yourself together?”

“I know, I know! Why ya gotta be such an asshat?” Shigehiro rubbed the forming bruise on his face, then sucked in a deep breath before charging. “ _Yoshimitsu!_ ”

Though the battle cry was unnecessary, Yoshiya wasn’t complaining about the result. Shigehiro managed to trap the Reaper in a barrage of slicing blows, making it much easier for Yoshiya to throw down his own line of assault. On the other side, Hotaru was doing her best against the so called Ro-tan, though she had taken a few hits in the process. Still, Yoshiya had no doubt that she’d be safe in the long run, especially with Nepuro on the same side.

The Reaper they were facing grunted as Shigehiro managed to knock her back, but Yoshiya was a split second late in the follow-up, and she managed to flip herself back into a counterattack. “Hm, you wanna play that way, kiddo? Y’know, I can play like that, too. _Copycat!_ ” she called, and Shigehiro tried to back up but he was too late. With a fierce cry, the Reaper mirrored Shigehiro’s previous stance, then returned the slashes in kind. Yoshiya clicked his tongue, trying to slip in a blow where it wouldn’t knock the other Player unconscious, but the Reaper didn’t miss a beat as her sharp eyes locked onto his. “Hm, how about you stay over there, ‘kay?”

Yoshiya opened his mouth for a retort, but the sudden drop of summer heat as a shadow formed overhead cut him off. While he usually preferred to be a little more graceful, he dived out of the way of the blow, only for more objects to descend on his path. “Well, I didn’t expect to see you out on the field already,” he called, the memory at last coming to him. “Copycat Ryuko. How nice of the GM to give you a little promotion.”

“Oh, you’ve heard of me? I’m _flattered_.” Ryuko flexed her wings before catching Yoshiya in her sights. “Too bad you ain’t gonna stick around to watch me make the most of my new class.” The oncoming assault of bikes and other miscellaneous debris halted, but she launched herself across the street in a blur of gray and yellow, the shimmer of Yoshimitsu’s invisible blade around her hand. Yoshiya did his best to block, but otherwise didn’t move. “Say goodnight, pretty boy!”

“ _Nikkariiiii!_ ”

Whether it was by instinct or planning, Shigehiro launched himself at the enemy’s open back, his fist poised to strike. The force of his imagination vaulted him forward along with the psyche, putting him right on course to strike Ryuko and create another opening.

“Whoops, too bad!”

In a blink, Ryuko vanished from right before their eyes. Shigehiro managed to backpedal enough to abort the psyche, but his momentum still carried him forward, crashing straight into Yoshiya and knocking the boy’s orange ballcap aside. Yoshiya braced himself to hit the concrete—but a sharp impact of pain exploded along his back, and both he and Shigehiro rolled across the ground, gaining several scrapes along the way. In the tumble, Yoshiya tried to see what had hit him, but the figure vanished as if an afterimage before a fresh shadow appeared in the direction they were rolling.

A blinding purple psyche exploded before them, almost knocking the two airborne. Before it struck, though, Yoshiya managed to catch sight of a yellow blur—the other Harrier, Ro-tan. Unlike Ryuko, who had been a hot topic amongst the Officers over the past few months, Yoshiya hadn’t heard of who this one was. As it was, discerning the identity didn’t do him much good while getting knocked around like some ragdoll.

 _“Yoshiya-san, are you alright?!”_ Hotaru’s panicked voice shouted through their connection. He felt her Imagination brimming, not in an offensive, but as a healing maneuver that soothed some of the sting of his wounds.

 _Don’t panic, Hotaru-chan,_ he said, keeping his mental voice unafflicted. _You can’t afford to let your guard down against that one._ Considering his position, Yoshiya couldn’t do the same, and he did the best to right himself and Shigehiro. The smaller boy shook a bit, but he grasped at his pins anyways, sending a tremble through the earth. Watching Ro-tan stumble, Yoshiya launched another offensive, managing to strike. _Just look out for yourself and Nepuro-kun right now. I’ll manage something—_

 _“Don’t go talking like you’re the only one in this fight!”_ Hotaru said, even as she was struggling to maintain the buzzing electric barrier around her. _“I thought you said the point of holding the Muse Game was to make Shibuya better. You can’t go and do that on your own, so you needed me, right?”_

Yoshiya frowned as Ro-tan dodged his attack, slipping away without notice. He couldn’t tell if it was a blessing or a curse that Ryuko didn’t swap in to take his place. _Yes, that’s true, but that doesn’t do us any good if—_

_“Why can’t you just trust me to have your back when you need it?!”_

The shout was unexpected, as was the beam of light that smashed down into the ground as Yoshiya continued to mash at the buttons on his phone. Shigehiro yelped, even if the attack wasn’t aimed at him. Ro-tan didn’t make a sound, but he did recoil from the attack, throwing up an arm in feeble defense.

 _“You’re always going and acting like I’m just some tagalong that doesn’t deserve to know what you’re talking about,”_ Hotaru continued, so focused that Yoshiya couldn’t even perceive what was happening around her. _“You did it with Neku-san yesterday, and you were doing it again this morning!”_

_Hotaru-chan—_

_“What’s even the point of us Pacting up if you’re just—”_

“Hotaru-chan!” he said, her name spilling out of his lips, even though it wasn’t necessary. Her frustration wavered for a moment. “You’re right. But I promise we’ll talk about this later. You need to focus on—”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing to Ro-tan?!” Ryuko shouted as she swapped onto the battle field. Yoshiya and Shigehiro reacted in sync, the younger boy’s barrage of punches knocking the Reaper off guard before Yoshiya sent light raining down from the heavens, levitating into the air as he did so. On the other side of the Noise Plane, Hotaru yelped, but it seemed that Nepuro was doing his part at keeping her safe. Ryuko gritted her teeth as the attacks slammed into her, but she didn’t scream. “Oh hell no. This ain’t what the GM said would go down. Ro-tan, we’re getting out of here!”

“Now, now, dear, if you think you can slip away that easily—”

“Hey, ‘Puro, they’re tryin’ to bolt—!”

Yoshiya felt the pulsing of Soul that usually preceded a Fusion, but the Reapers’ own attack was faster. His vision plunged into darkness, and even attempting to call down an attack had no effect. By the time the world came to light, Shigehiro had tried to bolt forward, and even Hotaru still had her arm extended like she was about to cast a psyche. It took a moment for everyone to recognize that they were back in the normal UG. Yoshiya combed through the crowd, but there wasn’t any sign of the Reapers.

Shigehiro collapsed first, sprawling out across the pavement. “What was that all about?” He groaned, throwing up an arm to cover his eyes. Nepuro crossed over the few paces it took him to reach the rest of them, then tossed Shigehiro’s discarded ballcap onto the boy’s chest. Shige perked up, pulling the hat over his close cropped dark hair. “No offense, Kiryu, but that chick seemed like she had it out for you.”

Yoshiya worked on righting his ruffled wardrobe. “That would be because our most beloved GM has it out for me, but she can’t do anything about it personally until the end of the week,” he said, causing Hotaru to give him a worried glance. He almost gave her a wry smile, then the echo of her words came back to him. “I will say she’s getting a bit ahead of herself, though. It’s only day three.”

Still sitting on the ground, Shigehiro crossed his arms and tilted his head. “Why in the world does the big boss have it out for you?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Nepuro said before Yoshiya could come up with a clever half-truth. Shigehiro pouted but listened to his Partner anyways. “What’s more important is finding out if we can still complete the mission. Is the wall still up over there?”

Hotaru jogged over to where the wall had been, waving her hand through the open air. “It’s down,” she called back towards them. “We should be able to take care of the mission now.” Though she kept her voice steady, she was still clutching onto her pin pouch.

“Well, as much as I would like to have a group advantage in the upcoming fight, I think it might be in our best interest to handle the other battles at the same time,” Yoshiya said, just as Shigehiro hopped back onto his feet. “We don’t know whether or not our little friends will come back for a second round, but the best way to avoid that is to clear the mission. With that over, we’ll be safe for another day.” As a Processor, Suzume knew better than to target Players when they were in storage.

Nepuro nodded, adjusting the cuffs of his jacket sleeves. “Right, we still need to find Sasaki and Mikumo anyways,” he said. Whether he agreed with the logic or recognized that Yoshiya was looking for an opportunity to talk to Hotaru alone, Yoshiya couldn’t say. “Come on, Shige. We have some ground to cover if we want to get to Towa Records before the ladies do.”

“I-if ya say so, ‘Puro…”

Not even bothering to watch them go, Yoshiya turned to face the way to Shibu-Q Heads. Hotaru was headed back towards him, the pale pink of a blush tinging her cheeks. “Um, Yoshiya-san,” she said, but Yoshiya held up a hand to stop the apology forming on her lips.

“Don’t worry so much about the little things, Hotaru-chan,” he said, tucking his hands into his pockets. “Now, I believe I promised you a chat.”

* * *

While the Shibu-Q Heads building had many shops open to Players, the small diner nestled on the top floor wasn’t one of them. Regardless, it was a place out of the sun and out of the way from Noise, not to mention the view from their window seat was nice. It would’ve been nice if they were there on ordinary circumstances, but Hotaru squirmed a bit as she waited for Yoshiya to return. Her face was already burning in shame; what had she been thinking, yelling at her Partner—the _Composer_ —in the middle of battle of all things?

 _Just because you’re angry or upset doesn’t make a good reason to lash out at someone else. Wasn’t I always the one telling Nee-chan that?_ While the urge had been there for some time, Hotaru wished that she had brought her writing supplies along, just so she would have a way to clear her mind of all the junk floating around inside of it.

“Don’t look like you’re about to face an inquisition, Hotaru-chan.” Despite the calm of his voice and the smile on his face, Hotaru couldn’t bring herself to relax. Yoshiya adjusted his glasses and hair in one deft movement, then folded his hands in front of him. “You sounded like you wanted to talk. That’s all this is.”

“You’re not mad?” Hotaru asked, sounding like a little girl who’d been afraid of a scolding from her parents. The gap that she imagined existed between their ages didn’t help matters.

Yoshiya raised a thin eyebrow. “Is there a reason I should be mad?”

“Because I went ahead and said all that!” Hotaru’s voice raised in volume, but it was more out of embarrassment than frustration. She stared down at her lap, hands clutching onto the pleats in her skirt. “I went ahead and told you off for not being honest with me, even though I’ve been the same way. I don’t have the right to scold you.”

“You’re right. You haven’t been honest with me,” Yoshiya said, an Hotaru flinched at the words. She’d heard him sound mildly frustrated before, but never angry, not even now, and she wasn’t sure which would be the better result. “But you were honest with me. When we were fighting.” Hotaru peeked through her bangs, seeing Yoshiya’s smile through the strands of green. “You told me how you really feel, and that helped us win.”

“We didn’t win. They ran away!” Maybe it was a good thing there wasn’t a Reaper’s sigil on the diner; no one would be able to see Hotaru as she spilled out her pent up nervousness.

_No one but Yoshiya-san. And isn’t he the one that matters?_

Yoshiya shook a finger at her. “And they ran away because I was able to unlock the next stage of my powers—which only happened _because_ you opened yourself up to me.” Hotaru tried to think of something to counter that assumption, but she had sensed it, the way the song from Yoshiya had shifted during the battle. “The Muse Game is set up so I can’t reach that level of power on my own. I need an appropriate Partner to resonate with me enough to reach a new capacity as the Composer. And that person is you, Hotaru-chan.”

Hearing the earnestness in his voice left Hotaru feeling unbalanced, and she couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze. “I still don’t think I’m the best person for this, Yoshiya-san,” she whispered, hoping her voice would get lost in the diner’s ambiance. “I feel like I only get through things on luck.”

“What happened today wasn’t a fluke, and neither was your last Reaper’s Game.” That familiar acid taste burned in her mouth, but Yoshiya moved the conversation along swiftly enough. “You do know what the Composer-Muse relationship isn’t a one way dynamic, right? I suppose the titles would make it seem like the Muse needs to help the Composer, but the other way around is just as true if you ask me.”

“Huh?”

“Tell me, Hotaru-chan, whenever you’re writing poetry, do you ever think that you’re only taking from the things that inspire you?” Hotaru blinked, looking back to Yoshiya and trying to read what was going on behind his violet eyes. Instead, she only found herself getting lost in the way he smiled. “I suppose that’s a strange way to put it, but how about this: is writing a poem something to you that means you’re using up your inspiration?”

“Of course not,” she said before she could think it through. Even so, she realized she believed in her impulsive answer. “If I don’t write, that means I’m wasting my effort. But when I make a poem, I’m giving back to that creativity inside of me, letting it get stronger. It’s like when I put the words on the page and get them out of my brain, I’m leaving room for more ideas to come to me.”

Yoshiya tapped his hands together in a short golf clap. “Exactly that. _By giving back_ to your inspiration, you’re letting it continue to give to you. That’s what the relationship between a creative and their muse—whatever it may be—should look like. So that’s what I’m hoping for in our relationship.” Though she knew he didn’t mean it that way, Hotaru’s cheeks grew even warmer than before. “Sanae may be found of reminding people to trust their Partners, but that also implies that both people give a foundation to trust each other on. So why don’t you tell me what’s been bothering you, and I can maybe give you a reason to trust me?”

 _I do trust you,_ she wanted to say, but the words stuck on her throat. On the surface level, she trusted him to stick with her, even if it was because of the Pact. She even trusted that he was holding himself back for a reason, like keeping Hotaru out of the loop was the best course of action. It wasn’t even entirely his fault that she couldn’t trust him, because that part of her had become cracked long ago. But even so, she hated it, because she couldn’t trust that he thought of her as an equal, as someone _he_ could count in. It didn’t matter if she didn’t trust in herself to do that—she wanted him to, because if he didn’t, then who else would?

Who else but her _Partner_?

“Neku-san,” Hotaru said after a moment. “He seemed upset with you, even though you were his Partner. What happened?”

“Ah, yes, Neku-kun. You sure do enjoy going straight for the difficult questions, don’t you, Hotaru-chan?” Though Yoshiya kept his tone light, the smile melted right off his face. Normally, Hotaru would have felt bad, but she wanted to know. Even more than that, she sensed that it was important that she knew, even if she could have just been imagining the feeling to justify herself. “Like I said, he’s my former Partner. We played together last year.”

 _Last year._ While Hotaru was gone from Shibuya. While the city had moved on without her. “Last year as in the time that made Hanekoma-san remodel his café?” If something had stirred up in the UG to cause trouble, she didn’t have a hard time imagining it coinciding with the Composer playing the Game.

“Right on the money,” Yoshiya said, giving her a watered down version of his usual smirk. “But, yes, I played the Reaper’s Game with Neku-kun.”

Something foreign twisted in Hotaru’s stomach. “It wasn’t…”

“A Muse Game? Goodness, no.” Though Yoshiya brushed off Hotaru’s suggestion, the uneasy feeling in her gut didn’t go away. Yoshiya’s expression didn’t help—not quite guilt, but something that looked so much like it that Hotaru didn’t know how else to describe it. “Neku-kun has an outstanding amount of Imagination, but he’s not Muse material. Instead, I recruited him as my Proxy.”

Though she didn’t quite grasp the full implications, the English word still rang a bell from yesterday. “So then…”

“Neku-kun was my stand-in. For a game I played with my former Conductor.” Yoshiya stalled out for a minute, and Hotaru waited through the silence, watching the people wandering about the streets below. Just as she was about to consider speaking, Yoshiya asked, “Remember how I said that I almost gave up on Shibuya once?” Trying not to think of the implications, Hotaru nodded. “That was last year. So I challenged Megumi—my Conductor, you met him at the end of your Game two years ago—to a game and chose Neku-kun to represent me. If Megumi won, he could do as he liked. If I won, then I would get rid of Shibuya.”

Suddenly, the people meandering on the street outside seemed much more important. When he said Shibuya, did he mean just the UG, or did the RG count as part of that? What did it mean when the Composer decided the city wasn’t worth it anymore?

“B-but you lost right?” Hotaru asked, trying to think of a reason that she could still be _here_ if he hadn’t.

“No, I won,” Yoshiya said with something not quite like finality. “I teamed up with Neku-kun for part of the Game, got him through the week. Then when he made it through Shibuya River and fought Megumi, he won. Megumi lost, but I gave Neku-kun a chance. And he chose not to fight me, because, after everything, he trusted me.” Almost staring into empty space, Yoshiya toyed with one of the loose ends of his scarf. “After all that, I could have destroyed Shibuya. I’d won, after all, and that was what I’d been playing for.”

Hotaru again glanced out at the city before her, at the diner around her, at the figure of a boy across from her. “But you didn’t.”

“That’s right. Because I thought, of all people, Neku-kun would take the chance to stop me. But he couldn’t, because he thought of me as a friend. And because he had grown that much, I decided that Shibuya wasn’t as broken as I thought, and I let it live.”

Despite the somewhat happy ending to the story, Hotaru still couldn’t shake the feeling of Shibuya simply disappearing. Would she have even been able to come home if that had happened? Would her parents still be there? What about Chou, who was somewhere in the Reapers? And Hotaru herself, who had some innate resonate with Shibuya as the Muse candidate—would she not have been able to hear that song again?

“Of course,” Yoshiya said, shifting back to his usual airy disposition, “if I had taken more time to connect with Neku, maybe he wouldn’t be so angry with me. But I only talked to him fully once after that, and it’s been a year. I’m sure that he’s had plenty of time to be upset. It’s no surprise that he wasn’t happy to see me today—especially as a Player in the Game with no explanation about what I was doing.”

“Why couldn’t you have just taken the time to explain then?” Hotaru almost demanded, snapping out of her reverie. “Yoshiya-san, you shouldn’t do that. I mean, if Neku-san made that much of an impression on you to make you change your mind, then you must think highly of him, right? You shouldn’t leave him hanging like that, even if we were on a time limit. Go have a conversation with him!” Yoshiya blinked, and the odd way that confusion settled on his usually composed face made Hotaru realize what she was saying. “Well, I mean, if we don’t get the chance during the Game, that’s fine. But afterwards, you should go! I’m serious.”

“Afterwards, hm?” Yoshiya held a finger under his chin. “You’re certainly thinking ahead.”

Hotaru stood, pressing her hands against the table. “Of course. I intend to win this Game.” Not just because there were things she still needed to do, not just for her family, but also for the Partner that had put his trust in her. “We’ll make it through the week, Yoshiya-san. And when we’re done, you’ll talk to Neku-san. And, well…” With Yoshiya staring at her, her voice faltered, but she forced the words out. “You asked me to be the Muse so I could help with Shibuya, right? I’m not going to let you almost decide to destroy the city again.”

Yoshiya laughed, not his usual giggle, but something close to a chuckle. “Alright then. I’ll be looking forward to it, Hotaru-chan.”

* * *

After a few more minutes of talking, they decided to press on to Udagawa. Their timers still showed plenty of leeway, but that was only assuming that the other Players had managed to locate and eliminate the other targets. Hotaru decided to believe that Hasekitsu-san and the others were more than capable enough to handle their opponents and pressed onwards to the narrow streets of Udagawa.

While the posters slapped around the walls had changed, the base structure of the place hadn’t. Cramped buildings pressed up against each other, casting shade over the stairs. Storefronts presented their wares in a fashion that was less blatant, but still more bold than more elegant brands. The sight of the blocky shapes of the Cyco Records logo painfully reminded Hotaru of Chou for a moment, but she pressed on once the CAT mural came into view.

The shapes and colors stretched out across the concrete for what seemed like forever. The poignant details of the design work were ready for the world to see, and, even someone like Hotaru, who was much more proficient than words than this type of art, could tell that there was a sense of mastery behind the carefully arranged streaks of spray paint. Something inside her chest swelled in time with the song of the city, matching up with the extra rhythm that CAT had incorporated. She was so caught up in her appreciation that she almost missed the two figures standing before it.

They weren’t looking at the mural, but at Hotaru and Yoshiya as they approached.

One of them wasn’t quite tall but still lanky, with hair a rich cobalt blue that fell over one eye and a pair of oval glasses resting on his face, which happened to be twisted into a mix of boredom and disdain. A jacket rested over his shoulders, the end fluttering off into coattails that hung near his baggy jeans. Beside him was a somewhat shorter girl, with her long hair pulled up into a ponytail. Her round face bore a smile, and her outfit would have nearly matched her companion’s were it not for the brighter color scheme.

And, though almost not visible thanks to the complex patterns of the graffiti behind them, Reaper wings sprouted from both of their backs.

“Shuito Izo and Rei,” Yoshiya said, and Hotaru glanced to him. “They’re a pair of Harriers that have been getting some recognition lately. They may not act like it, but they do have some effective teamwork. I’d say it’s fitting that they’re the ones at the end of the road.”

Part of Hotaru still felt unnerved from their earlier fight with the Reapers, but she reminded herself that things were different. Not only was this an official part of the mission, but they were getting stronger. Whatever happened, she and Yoshiya could handle it. “Then let’s do what we said we would do,” she said.

“Certainly.”

Finished climbing the stairs, Hotaru tugged up the ends of her gloves and mentally prepared herself to fight. While she couldn’t say anything about the comparable difficulty from then to now, she remembered having some trouble the last time this mission had rolled around.

“So it seems you’ve decided to subvert the standard path and advance towards the final position initially,” the male, Izo, said, catching them in an icy glare. “No matter. So long as you desire to complete your objective, you’ll need to contend with us. What will it be? Will you advance?”

“Um, Fos-Bro? Any chance you could tone it down a few notches?” the Reaper with him said, her casual tone ruining the thick atmosphere. Not minding it in the slightest, Rei propped her arm on Izo’s shoulder and leaned against him. “You don’t gotta get all dramatic over some mission assignment.”

Izo flicked his otherwise impassive eyes to Rei, the furrow in his brow growing deeper. “Tyke, in case you’ve chosen to somehow recover few miniscule fragments of common sense, contain your blathering nonsense. Also, remove your weight from my person immediately!”

Izo stepped aside, effectively removing Rei’s perch and causing her to stumble. She managed to stop short of falling on her face, but she pouted all the same. “Rude!”

Hotaru scratched at her cheek, not sure what to think of the situation, let alone what to say. Yoshiya had no such reservations. “As charming as your little routine is, we’d like to go ahead and take care of this part of the mission,” he said, the giggle apparent in his voice. He caught Hotaru looking at him and smirked, almost to tell her to relax. “Instead of running down our timers here, let’s go ahead and get started.”

“Feh,” Izo said. “If you insist.”

Rei pumped her fist, her momentary squabble(?) with her partner forgotten. “Yeah! We’ll show you who’s boss, so get ready!”

When the world split into two and Yoshiya’s Soul was apparent on the other side of the connection, Hotaru was ready. She sized up the opponent before her, trying to get a read on Izo as he adjusted his glasses back into place and flexed his fingers. Hotaru took on her own posture, using the pulsing of Yoshiya’s Imagination to stir her own up.

With her usual startup, Hotaru set the ground beneath the Reaper’s feet aflame. On the other side of the connection, she could tell that Yoshiya had started his own assault, the pillars of light sending flashes of white striking down between the buildings. While it looked like Izo was just taking the damage, Hotaru could still feel a thrum of energy through the air. He wasn’t simply being idle; where was his psyche?

And then Hotaru let out a breath, which came out as a puff of fog. Goosebumps lined her skin. In the middle of summer. With a realization, she looked below her, finding a patch of ice forming at her feet, encasing her sneakers. Yelping, she tried to switch her target, but the fresh flames flickered out as soon as they started.

The distraction was all that Izo needed to trigger the next part of his attack, a line of icicles forming at his fingertips before slicing through the air. Her electric barrier wouldn’t do much good against that, so she shot off a Lightning Rook, managing to shatter two of the projectiles. The last spear hit its mark, both the sharp pain and searing cold pulling a short scream from Hotaru’s mouth at the sudden foreign object in her thigh. Within seconds, Izo was upon her, a double fisted blow knocking Hotaru out of her restraints and across the frosting ground.

“Pathetic,” Izo said, and Hotaru could feel the pulse of the psyche energy beneath her. She rolled aside, finding the pain as the ice spear pushed farther into her skin much more preferable to the absolute skewer that had appeared in the spot she’d just been sitting in. As the assault continued, Hotaru managed to get back onto her feet, only to slip on a patch of ice that hadn’t been there before. “If you were going to come into this battle with the extrapolation that you could win, then you should have reevaluated your stratagem.”

Hotaru didn’t bother to respond. She didn’t even flinch back as Izo raised his hand, preparing another assault. Instead, she focused as hard as she could, a column of flame much more powerful than what she’d unleashed before bursting from the ground like a volcanic eruption. The ice around Izo instantly turned to steam, and Hotaru pulled herself to her feet before unloading every psyche that she had ready in quick succession. More fire and lightning combined into a maelstrom that consumed Izo’s form.

Taking what little reprieve she had, Hotaru pulled the remains of the icicle from her leg. Because of her composition in the UG, there wasn’t any blood, but errant pieces of static leaked from the wound. Hotaru triggered her healing psyche, a can appearing in her hand that she instantly drained, the familiar fizz of ramune spilling over her tongue in a refreshing wave.

Then her body jerked to the side.

Hotaru flew through the air, just barely having enough time to brace herself as she crashed into Izo’s latest ice structure. The massive icicle splintered into dozens of crystals, flashing in the sun. Catching sight of her opponent, Hotaru sent a few Lightning Rooks down on him, but her body jerked again, throwing off her aim. With her nose pressed into the pavement, she _saw_ the next icicle as it formed beneath her. She tried to push herself to her feet, but her body refused to budge.

_I can’t move?_

The realization came too late, but Hotaru summoned her flames to dampen the blow that came next. Water soaked into the front of her shirt, even as the rest of the impact sent Hotaru flinging skyward, past the rooftops of the nearby shops. She tried her best to right her position, finding the splash of Izo’s cobalt hair as a target. In the midst of trying to launch a psyche while still airborne, something bright flashed in her vision.

 _String?_ she thought, reaching a hand towards it. A freezing temperature almost burned her palm. _No, not string. It’s metal._ While it was slack for now, she could see the slight resistance, the ends of the wires pointing to Izo. It was his psyche. “Yoshiya-san! I’m going to try something! Sorry if it doesn’t work!”

On the mirror side of the plane, she could feel the wind as it whipped past Yoshiya, unleashing a powerful gale across their inverted side of Udagawa. _“Then let’s see it, shall we?”_

Hotaru tightened her grip on the wires, ignoring the drop in her stomach as gravity did its work. Focusing on Izo and the metal between her fingers, she built up as much electricity as possible, connecting the points together. Once she was done, she released the psyche, watching as electricity manifested itself in the air. While some of it passed onto her, she only felt a numbness along her fingers. Izo, on the other hand, took the full brunt of the attack as the electricity forming in the wires coursed back towards their owner.

“You insufferable…!” Izo said through gritted teeth. Rather than continue to take the assault, he dropped his psyche, the wires vanishing from Hotaru’s grip. Even with the sun at her back, a fierce chill crept through the air, twisted by the sheer force of imagination. With the pavement still fast approaching, Hotaru tried to think of a way to land that didn’t involve becoming nothing more than scattered static in the wind.

It was Yoshiya’s laugh that let her know the solution, let her feel the shared power they had coursing between them, let her see the path to take. So when he called out to her, she knew how to answer.

_“Shall we go, Hotaru-chan?”_

_“I’m right behind you!”_

That time, when the world lit up, it wasn’t because of someone else, but because of them. Yoshiya raised the hand holding his cell phone. Beside him, Hotaru raised a hand as well, even though hers was empty. In unison, they brought their hands down, and dozens of beams of lights and thunderbolts crashing onto the streets below them with an echoing boom, blurring the shapes of Izo and Rei into nothing but smears of shadow.

For a moment, the world settled back into the two separate but parallel planes—but that didn’t stop her from feeling the way that the song of Yoshiya’s Soul had started to intertwine with hers.

* * *

**[Four Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The Second Third Day Bonus Episode

“Delivery & Truce”

* * *

After splitting up with Hotaru and Josh, Uzumiku Shigehiro followed close on ‘Puro’s heels as they worked their way away from Udagawa and towards Towa Records. Though Shige trusted ‘Puro, the boy didn’t fully understand why they had bothered to split up. Shige wasn’t the best at reading the mood, but even he could tell that there was something up with the rest of the Players around them, more than that they were all veterans, more than why Josh would end up as some target for the GM.

More than the secret that ‘Puro had asked him to keep.

Shige wanted to ask, but he couldn’t muster up the nerve. So he left his curiosity unattended to and focused on following ‘Puro’s long-legged strides across Shibuya. Unlike the path towards Udagawa, there were no walls appearing in their way, but, given their earlier run-in with the one mental Reaper chick and her silent Partner, not seeing the Reapers didn’t exactly mean that they weren’t there.

Shige picked up his pace so that he wouldn’t get separated from ‘Puro—which got a lot harder as the man decided to break into a jog past the Molco building. “Hey!” ‘Puro called, and soon Shige could see the figures of Sasaki and Mikumo, about to round the corner towards Towa Records.

Given how the day before had gone, Shige didn’t have high hopes for the conversation. Still, he didn’t want to see anyone die, either, so he’d accepted that they needed to pass out as many of the white fusion pins that they’d gotten from the café barista yesterday. So it was talking with the other Pact or nothing.

Sure enough, Mikumo turned up her nose almost the moment that she recognized who was talking to her. Sasaki was much more amicable, though, still smiling. “Hasekitsu-san, Shige-kun. It’s nice to see you again. We were worried when you didn’t show up at the bus terminal.”

“Sorry, we were trying to get a lead,” ‘Puro said, not even caring that Mikumo was sulking. Being the youngest, Shige had to crane his neck up to see the adults talking. “We ran into Kiryu and Tsukiko, and they’re working on fighting what we think is the third enemy. But we didn’t get the chance to give you something yet, so we took a detour.”

Though she didn’t face them directly, Mikumo’s aquamarine eyes flicked toward them. “Give us _what_ exactly?” she asked, flicking aside one of her dark twin tails. “Something that will screw us ov—”

“Maki-chan,” Sasaki-san said, her tone reminding Shige of his homeroom teacher. She said it just the right way to make Mikumo snap her mouth shut, anyways. “I understand why you’re worried, but we shouldn’t tear each other apart like this. If Hasekitsu-san says he’s here to help, we should let him.”

Mikumo’s grimace suggested very much that she wanted to do no such thing, and Shige took that as his cue. ‘Puro was smart, so he knew that Mikumo wouldn’t want to accept anything from him—so Shige was in charge of the delivery. Pulling out one of the loose pins from the others jangling in his pockets, Shige offered it out. “Here. This is the Pin that let us trounce those Noise yesterday. If ya two can combine your powers together, then ya should be able to pull it off, too.”

While Mikumo looked like she was about to throw out another jab at ‘Puro, Sasaki simply smiled and accepted the pin from Shige. When she attached it to her collar, the pure white color stuck out against the black border. “Thank you, Shige-kun, Hasekitsu-san,” she said, holding a hand to her chest. “We really appreciate anything that can help us survive the week, right Maki-chan?”

“ _Hah_?” Mikumo said, before a quick look from Sasaki caused the girl’s cheeks to tint pink. “Yeah, thanks?”

Shige propped his fists on his hips, ready to tell Mikumo off for being so rude, but ‘Puro waved his hand through the air. “I want you guys to survive as much as you do,” ‘Puro said, and Mikumo looked away in embarrassment. “But even with that pin, we won’t have much luck on that front if we don’t complete the mission. Since you’re headed this way, I take it that the first part of the mission went well?”

Sasaki nodded. “We faced a pair of Reapers, though they retreated once we’d done enough damage. Oh, and they gave us this.” Sasaki reached into her back pocket, pulling out a pin with a design similar to but not the same as the Player Pin, white on a black background. Shige squinted; it almost looked like—

“A keypin,” ‘Puro said with something like a sigh. He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets and looked towards Towa Records. “Well, just like I thought. Come on, Shige, we can’t afford to be the only ones at a disadvantage tomorrow. Sasaki, Mikumo, feel free to come, too.”

Mikumo said something under her breath that Shigehiro couldn’t quite catch. Sasaki was much more graceful. “We’d be glad to help,” she said. “Finishing the mission helps us, as well.”

“Alright,” Shige said, steeling himself even though he didn’t really feel confident in the slightest. Still, he made himself feel brave and threw up a fist into the air. “Come on, ‘Puro! Let’s go kick some butt.” Even if it meant bringing Mikumo along for the ride, he knew how to accept help when it was due.

That didn’t stop him from sticking out his tongue when Mikumo’s back was turned, though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features Rikamizu Reiko from Chronic Guardian's Hybrid::Mixed Feelings and Shuito Izo and Shuito Rei from EeveeGen9988's TWEWY Prequel: A Fall Into Honour and TWEWY Sequel: Unsealed Fates, both of which were originally posted on fanfiction.net.


	8. The Second Fourth Day:  “Separation & Sacrifice”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Second Fourth Day:

“Separation & Sacrifice”

* * *

Unlike the mornings before, Hotaru awoke in a patch of shade. While the sensation would have been a relief at any other time, after the fight with Izo, Hotaru had enough of feeling cool. She’d very much welcome some sunshine, even if it meant bringing the inevitable result of sweat in the process. At least being dead somehow meant that she didn’t feel disgusting after four days without a bath or even a change of clothes.

Pulling herself to her feet, Hotaru looked around in search of some sunlight to banish the last of the lingering chill from her bones. Unfortunately for her, the sun wasn’t high enough in the sky to make it over the surrounding buildings of Spain Hill. Not even the shops seemed to have opened yet, save for someone working on setting up a colorful display of sunglasses for sale down the road. Somewhere in the back of her consciousness, she was aware of how Shibuya’s song played on, if not at a somewhat slower pace. As the day went on, it would pick up its usual tempo and volume.

 _Yoshiya-san…thought about throwing this place away, didn’t he?_ Hotaru looked up towards the sky, trying not to imagine it. Yes, he had changed his mind. Yes, she had gone on about stopping that from happening again. _But what can I do? After I become the Muse, how much influence will I have in comparison to someone like the Composer?_

A moment too late, she realized that she wasn’t thinking in possibilities anymore—it was going to be _when_ she became the Muse, and not _if_. She’d said that to Yoshiya the day before, too. Though she must have decided at some point or another, she didn’t know when that had been. But, unlike six days before, when Yoshiya first suggested it, she felt more certain, no matter how many insecurities were still swirling around in her gut.

“Yoshiya-san—” she said, before she realized that she hadn’t seen him at all. Spinning around, she tried to look for any place that he might have been hiding, like he might have wandered off to get breakfast for them. But the only shop with a sigil on it in the area was Mexican Dog, and its doors hadn’t yet opened. There wasn’t any way that he would run off in the morning without her, was there?

And then her phone went off, signaling the start of a new mission, and Hotaru realized she was all alone, just like before.

* * *

“Goodness now, Suzume, a mission isn’t much of a challenge if you give out the answers beforehand, you know.”

Sitting inside the silent darkness of the A-East concert hall, Yoshiya stood leaning against the railing. He reviewed the mission once more before flipping his phone shut, snuffing out what little light was available to him from the glow of the screen. Not that he needed much, when the real objective was waiting for him outside. It was just a matter of getting there without running into another of their darling GM’s traps first.

Yoshiya giggled to himself, the sound echoing in the empty hall as if there were several of him all in on the same joke. Well, if Suzume wanted to try to come for him, she could try. As far as Yoshiya was concerned, it wouldn’t be too long before he could turn her own game against her.

_Now then, you remember where to find me, don’t you, Hotaru-chan?_

* * *

_Survive long enough to reunite with your Partner. Combine your rewards with other Players to advance through the walls. You have 240 minutes._

The terms of the mission may have been racing through her head, but Hotaru stood frozen in place for a few moments, trying process the words. She tried to tell herself that it _was_ different from before; that she had more power on her side, a better Partner, enough experience to know how to handle what was before her. But even with a Pact to enable her psyches, it would still be a challenge to take down Noise on her own if she ran into any, and she certainly couldn’t fend off another direct assault from any Reapers.

 _Calm down, calm down, calm down,_ she told herself, clutching onto her pin pouch for dear life. _You and Yoshiya-san won yesterday, and the Reapers passed you highest ranking keypin. It shouldn’t be too hard to clear away the walls and finish this. Just calm down and remember where to go!_

Just like how the first few missions had been familiar, this one was exactly the same, too. Two years ago, she had woken up at Shibu-Q Heads on her own, convinced that her Partner was gone, and she soon would be, too. But it had just been a part of the mission, and she’d managed to survive. It was simply a matter of knowing which level walls she could handle on her own, and which ones she would need to work together with someone at.

“Tsukiko-kun, over here!”

Biting her lip, Hotaru jumped at the call of her name. Further down the road leading to Tipsy Tose Hall was Hasekitsu-san, his red coat billowing out behind him. Relieved to see someone else, Hotaru sprinted forward to meet him halfway, next to a lamppost covered in white graffiti markings. “Hey, you two went ahead and cleared the last set of Reapers, right?” he asked, and Hotaru nodded. “Good, that means you have the level three keypin. I woke up in Shibu-Q Heads, but I couldn’t make it past the wall to AMX. Only way to go was here.”

“Hasekitsu-san, you…” Hotaru shook her head, reasserting her priorities. She and Hasekitsu would need to spend the rest of the mission together if they wanted to get anywhere; meeting back up with Yoshiya was much more important than fulfilling her curiosity. “Did you manage to meet up with Sasaki-san and Mikumo-san yesterday?”

“Yeah. We passed on the Fusion pin and took care of the pair over by Towa Records. Shige and I both got the level two’s, and Sasaki-kun’s pair got some, too. They also have level one’s for taking care of the first enemy. We’re gonna need them all to get through this.” Hands shoved in his jacket pockets, Hasekitsu gave his matter-of-fact report before his yellow eyes slipped to the path to Molco. “I don’t feel like wasting time on this. Let’s get moving.”

Both on the same wavelength, they crossed the distance to their destination, the shimmer of the wall obvious even without the sunlight falling directly on it. Hasekitsu retrieved his black on white keypin from his pocket while Hotaru pulled her own black on red design from her pin pouch. Without a Support Reaper on duty, it was up to them to clear the way. “Well, let’s hope this combination works,” Hotaru said, presenting the pin to the wall. Hasekitsu did the same, and she could feel the pulse of Soul between them both as they channeled their Imagination to activate the keypins. There was a slight pause, as if the wall was thinking about it, before the structure fell and opened the way. A sigh of relief fell from Hotaru’s lips.

Hasekitsu sighed, too, but it didn’t sound like for the same reason. Tucking his keypin back in his pocket, he adjusted his hat and looked onward. “Well, we made it through that one without a trap at least. Guess there’s no complaining about that, huh?” He glanced over to Hotaru, a dark eyebrow raised into his hairline. “You got something you wanna ask?”

Hotaru blushed for letting her curiosity be so painfully obvious on her face. “Yes, if you don’t mind. A-ah, we can walk and talk, though, so we don’t waste time.” Hasekitsu shrugged his broad shoulders but started the walk towards Molco anyways. Hotaru swallowed her nervousness and followed after him. “I know this seems silly to ask, but…you are the Hasekitsu-san from back then, right?”

Compared to the Player in her memory, he did look similar, but his complexion had changed, not to mention the red markings on his skin and the new yellow glow of his eyes. The fact that she couldn’t quite remember his given name had thrown her off, too—enough to make her suspect that they were different. But he’d known about the keypins for today and the path for yesterday’s mission, too. There were too many coincidences to dismiss.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Hasekitsu said, without any reservations. As they approached the Molco, they at last stepped into some sunlight, and Hotaru sucked in the warmth. “I recognized you guys back on day two, but I figured that you wouldn’t want to cause a scene or anything.” While that was true enough, she was amazed that he could keep his cool upon seeing Yoshiya. “Besides, it’s not any of my business what you’re doing back in the Game again.

“Not when I’m playing again because I want to.”

_There’s nothing more exciting that I can think of than getting this rush over and over. So I’ll keep playing until I get Erased. By this point, my Entry Fee’s just my right to play again—what would I even have to go back to if I came back to life?_

She wasn’t sure if she remembered it verbatim, but the Hasekitsu of back then had reasoned it out like it was the simplest thing in the world. He was even more of a veteran than Hotaru was. After all, what was a second Reaper’s Game to someone who had played dozens of times and come out on top?

The uneasy feeling she’d had upon hearing Hasekitsu’s rationale back then still persisted in the present. Still, Hotaru didn’t have a right to judge him, considering she’d willingly entered this Reaper’s Game herself. While their reasons weren’t the same, she couldn’t say they were completely different, either.

“So then, is it always like this?” she asked, kneading her hands together. “The past few missions—and this one, too. They’re the same as my last Game. Does that always happen?”

Hasekitsu let out a derisive snort. “Ha! You think I’d go ahead and bother to play all these times if it was gonna be the same shit over and over?” He sneered, the expression warping the red lines on his face. There was so much ferocity in it that Hotaru flinched back, even if the ire wasn’t directed at her. “Usually the missions are totally different. That’s what makes it so interesting. I don’t know who the GM is after all this time, but it’s someone who’s not very good at their job if you ask me.”

Considering that Hotaru had only met one Game Master in her life, she couldn’t say for sure if that was a fair assessment or not. “You don’t think that it’s him again, do you?” It was the most likely possibility that came to mind.

“What, Dungeons and Dicehead?” Holding his hat in place, Hasekitsu shook his head. “Nah, the missions are technically the same, but this isn’t his style. No over the top wording, no in-person experiences. He’s not the type to let this sort chance go by.” As much as she didn’t like recalling the memories, Hotaru had to agree. “Besides, you should know better than anyone that he’s toast. Whoever this is might be taking pages from good ol’ DnD’s book, but it’s gotta be someone else. I’d be willing to bet on that.”

And whoever it was also had a bone to pick with Yoshiya, too, if yesterday was anything to judge by. The thought made Hotaru pick up her pace. If there would be a time to go after Yoshiya, it would be today, when they were separated. Yes, they had opened up more of his powers, but would it be enough to stand on his own if it came down to it?

 _Don’t be like that, Hotaru. Trust that he’ll be alright and focus on your half of the mission. The sooner you find Mikumo-san or Sasaki-san, the sooner everyone can use their keypins and meet up with each other._ As they approached the next wall, Hotaru threw out a prayer that they could make it through without the last of their trio being stuck on the opposite side. They were lucky enough that the second wall went down without any problems.

They were less lucky that the sound of buzzing followed.

“Tsukiko-kun, move!” Hasekitsu called, but Hotaru was already in action. The two Players sprinted in different directions, just as a hornet slammed into the ground between them. Hasekitsu clicked his tongue, and Hotaru tried not to stumble over the line of bushes behind her. A single hornet on its own wouldn’t be much of a problem otherwise, but Hotaru could feel that her Pact was stretched too thin—still there, but not enough to draw power from. A few blows could take her out easily. “We don’t have a choice! We just gotta bolt to the nearest shop and hope we can make it.”

“Right!” Staring down the hornet before her, Hotaru waited until it started to charge once more. She dodged, sprinting before the Noise could pull its stinger from the concrete. Hasekitsu was doing the same. Rather than giving up any ground, they both headed towards Cadoi City. _Please let the door be open, please let the door be open!_

Though he wasn’t trying to leave her behind, Hasekitsu made it to the door first. Hotaru’s gut wrenched for a second—then Hasekitsu pulled on the handle, flinging the entrance open without any resistance. With an extra burst of speed, she slipped in the opening, and Hasekitsu followed behind. The hornet had charged again, but it collided with the glass window, too tied to the UG to do any damage. Even so, Hasekitsu held the door shut a few more moments, until the hornet shook itself out and buzzed away.

They both let out a sigh of relief, and Hotaru fell back to lean against the wall, clutching onto her pin pouch. “So,” she said between breaths, “it looks like…trap walls are still there.” Even though she’d known it was a possibility, that didn’t mean it was pleasant to see a Noise appear in front of you without warning. It just went to show just how much having a Partner instilled a sense of security in you.

Hasekitsu seemed to catch his own breath, though there was still a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. “The fact that there are still traps is all the more reason to find Sasaki-kun or Mikumo-kun soon.” Though they were fully visible thanks to the Reaper’s Sigil on the building, Hasekitsu had no qualms about peering around the edge of the door, trying to get a better look at the outside. “I don’t know if those hornets will go after them, but I’d rather not be the one to get on Mikumo-kun’s bad side if she’s the one that—whoa fuck!”

Hasekitsu stumbled back as the door flew open, almost bashing him in the face. Holding onto his hat, he managed to jump back in enough time, though he did run right into the opposite wall. Mikumo burst into the entrance, one of her twin tails loose from its hair tie. Her dress had some scrapes on it, but she was otherwise there, unharmed. Even so, she managed to keep much more of her decorum than Hotaru had, not looking so much as winded as she made it inside. Mikumo’s eyes jumped around, as If she was waiting for enemies to come spilling out of the nearby le Grand storefront. Then her gaze fell on Hotaru, and half but not all of the visible tension melted out of Mikumo’s shoulders.

“Tsukiko,” Mikumo said with a slight tremble in her voice. She stepped forward and put her hands on Hotaru’s shoulders, as if check that the other Player was real. Then the fragility was gone, and a determined light flashed through her blue eyes. “You have more keypins, right? I need your help to get through the wall between here and the department store. I think between us, we should have no problem getting through.”

“Well, I mean I have a level three keypin, so I probably have a good chance of that,” Hotaru said, glancing over to an unamused looking Hasekitsu. “But, I mean, it’s not just the two of us, so…”

Hasekitsu crossed his arms. “Yes, don’t go ignoring me now, Mikumo-kun,” he said, and Mikumo’s face contorted at the sound of his voice. She whirled around, the loose hair from her pigtail fluttering through the air. “Weren’t you the one who was saying that you wouldn’t complain about extra help if it meant surviving the week? Or was that just a good show for your Sensei?”

“Last I checked, you don’t have any pins that I don’t,” Mikumo said. “As far as I’m concerned, you can go off and play with the damn Noise. It suits you better.”

“E-easy there,” Hotaru said, stepping between the two despite the tremble in her voice. “Mikumo-san, I don’t know what you have against Hasekitsu-san, but I’d like it if we could all move forward together. If nothing else, so we can help Shige-san, too. Without Hasekitsu-san, he’d be by himself.” And he’d only have seven minutes left after that. For all they knew, one of their Partners might have already lost, then one of them would disappear as well. “And I…I refuse to go forward if it means leaving someone behind. So let’s all go together, okay, Mikumo-san?”

Hotaru was surprised at how many words she’d managed to get out at once. Mikumo opened her mouth, then snapped it shut, a faint blush covering her face. “Yeah, whatever. I just want to find Sensei, so do whatever you want, I guess.” The words out, Mikumo turned back to the door, squinting out into the sunshine. “It looks to me like the coast is clear. Finish up whatever you two were planning on doing, then we’ll get moving.”

Hotaru looked to Hasekitsu, who only gave her a shrug with an amused smile on his face. Considering that they’d only come inside as a form of defense, there wasn’t anything that needed to be done. Hotaru stepped forward, placing her hand on the door. “Thanks, Mikumo-san. Let’s get going, okay?”

Mikumo didn’t match Hotaru’s smile, but at least she didn’t seem as frustrated as before. Tugging free her remaining pigtail, Mikumo pulled the dark locks back into a singular ponytail as she stepped outside. Hasekitsu followed behind them, hanging back just enough to survey the area. The potential threat of free floating Noise made even the short distance across the street seem like too far.

_We just need to stay calm and take it one step at a time. With the three of us, we shouldn’t have any trouble crossing any walls, right? Yoshiya-san will be okay. I just need to stay strong enough to reach him, and then everything will be alright._

Sure enough, the wall between them and the Shibu-Q Department Store fell away at the collection of four keypins before it. Though she pressed on immediately, Mikumo still let out an audible sigh of relief that the barrier was no longer there, and even Hasekitsu seemed glad that they hadn’t triggered another swarm of hornets down upon them.

Hotaru spared the man a glance. “We should be alright if we get to the Scramble, right, Hasekitsu-san?” Since it was the center of the Game before, Hotaru hoped the same was true now. From there, they’d be able to find their way to their Partners, surely.

“Yeah, we should be,” Hasekitsu said, thumbing his keypin between his fingers. “I guess that’s one good thing about this being a repeat Game. We know that if we can get access to the other routes, we shouldn’t have much trouble clearing this mess up and moving on.”

“You two done chatting over there?” Mikumo called over her shoulder from several meters away, almost lost in the steadily forming crowd. “I’m willing to bet five-hundred yen that there’s going to be another ambush or some nonsense once we manage to fulfil the mission requirements. Don’t come crying to me if you lose out on points for not contributing.”

“Oh, apologies, Mikumo-kun,” Hasekitsu said with only the most distant traces of sarcasm. Hotaru shook her head, knowing that intervening wouldn’t do much to stop them from bickering. “Don’t worry about us, though. You won’t be able to get very far without our help, remember?” A faint smirk formed on his lips as he tapped the brim of his hat.

Mikumo looked about to throw out another retort when her eyes widened. “Sensei!” Not even waiting for the others, Mikumo bolted off towards the wall. Hotaru and Hasekitsu followed, slipping through the strangers of the RG. Mikumo had gotten enough of a head start that she was already at the wall, her palms pressed against the surface. Sasaki stood smiling on the other side, another figure with her.

“‘Puro!” Shige said, waving his hand through the air with enough force to make the limb fall off. Hasekitsu’s lips curled into an easy smile as he saw his Partner, and Hotaru scanned the area on the other side of the wall, her chest tightening as she saw no sign of Yoshiya. “I’m so glad to see ya! I freaked when you weren’t with me this morning.”

“Sorry about that,” Hasekitsu said. “It’s not like I was planning on waking up on the opposite end of Shibuya to you.”

Shige rubbed a finger under his nose, a pure grin stretching over his face. “It’s not your fault. The mission’s the one that did it.”

“Did either of you see Yoshiya-san?” Hotaru asked, trying to distract herself by adjusting her gloves. It didn’t do much good, especially as Shige shook his head.

“I didn’t see him. What about ya, Sasaki-san?”

Holding a hand to her chest, Sasaki shook her said. “I’m sorry, Tsukiko-san. I woke up at the bus terminal, and I didn’t see anyone until I made it through the wall and managed to find Shige-kun. I’d guess that Joshua-kun is still caught up somewhere near where he woke up. I wish I could help put your mind more at ease, though.”

 _That or those Reapers managed to take him out successfully this time._ Hotaru forced the thought away and shook her head. “No, it’s alright, Sasaki-san. Yoshiya-san is…” She trailed off, not knowing what she could say that didn’t sound like a lie. “I’ll make it to Yoshiya-san, one way or the other.” She could manage that much.

“Well, it sucks that Kiryu can’t help out, but we shouldn’t just stand here separated,” Mikumo said, producing her two keypins. “Let’s knock this wall down and get this mission over with. Even if me, Sensei, and these two are the only ones to clear it, you two should wake up together tomorrow, right?” Not wanting to consider what she’d do if that wasn’t true, Hotaru nodded. “Then let’s do it. The sooner the better.”

Nobody disagreed, everyone pulling out their respective keypins. There wouldn’t be any advantage to waiting around, hoping that Yoshiya would appear out of nowhere, so Hotaru did the same. Both Sasaki and Mikumo had their two pins apiece, the black and white designs inverted on each other. Hotaru was the only one with a red on black. Together, all five Players held up their keypins, bringing with it a coursing of Imagination through the air.

The wall didn’t fall.

Hotaru squinted, wondering if she had just missed the mark. Sasaki’s brow furrowed in concentration, and even Hasekitsu looked disquieted. After at least a minute of nothing happening, Mikumo shouted something that didn’t form any cohesive words and kicked the wall with her boots. “What the hell?! We have seven pins with us. Why isn’t it going anywhere?”

Hotaru’s mind scrambled for an answer, but she couldn’t come up with anything; she hadn’t encountered this scenario two years ago. Each wall had had something approximate to a level back then, and if you could meet or pass that threshold, then you could get through. Even with all them, could they really not…?

“We’re unbalanced,” Hasekitsu said, almost talking to himself. “Without him, we’re short on the other side.”

“Ooh, you managed to figure it out! Guess you should at least expect that much from someone who’s played so many times.” The voice sent a shiver down Hotaru’s back, and she looked up with everyone else. Lounging in midair with her wings spread was Ryuko, her bandana fluttering in the breeze. Her yellow-hooded Partner, Ro-tan, wasn’t with her. “But you’re right. This wall’s special, so you need to have enough pins on both sides to make it work. Too bad you guys decided to split up yesterday, or you might have gathered enough drop items to make it work. Whoopsie!”

With that, Ryuko burst out into cackling laughter, clutching at her stomach. Hotaru looked at the others, hoping to see some sign of a plan. But everyone looked as lost as she felt, even Hasekitsu-san. If they couldn’t get through this wall, what could they even do. _Yoshiya-san, where are you? Don’t tell me that…_

Ryoko’s laughter cut off, and Hotaru’s instincts screamed out as the sound of hornets started to approach them. “Well, unluckily for you guys, this wall blocks Pacts from meeting each other in the Noise Plane, so I’m gonna take the chance to rack up some points, if it’s all the same to you. Of course, the boss would get mad if I’m not careful about who I Erase…so I guess it’s your unlucky day!”

The Reaper threw her right hand down, and Hotaru flinched before she realized that the Noise weren’t heading for her.

“Shige, get out of here!”

“ _Sensei!_ ”

Both Sasaki and Shigehiro had managed to stumble out of the way of the oncoming assault—or at least the first round. Unlike the wall traps, it wasn’t just a few errant Noise that had come. Instead, Ryuko had summoned at least half a dozen, the buzzing of the hornet’s wings blending in with the harsh grunts of a few approaching rhinos. Even though she was on the other side of the wall, Hotaru froze in fear. _Even though we were so close…it’s not fair!_ She wracked her brain to come up with some solution, some way to get everyone out okay, but terror resonated in her skull, preventing any progressive thought.

“Everybody, run!”

Sasaki’s voice rang out clear in hubbub, without a sliver of worry. Before Shigehiro could even process the words, Sasaki had grabbed his arm and hurled him away from the wall and the Noise, back towards the crossing. The woman’s fists clenched at her sides, her back straight in determination. To Hotaru, Sasaki looked like she could face anything, like she wasn’t—

_Like she’s not afraid to die._

“No! I won’t!” Mikumo seemed to sense the same thing, and she slammed her fists against the unyielding wall. “I’m not going without you, Sensei! We can still make it! You’re the only one I have left, so please don’t—!”

“Maki-chan,” Sasaki said, looking serenely calm, even as the Noise drew ever closer. “I love you, and I’m sorry. So please let me do this and keep carrying on for just a while longer. I may not be able to help you last to the end, but I’m going to protect what I can, just for a moment.”

Still trying to break down the wall with the force of her body alone, Mikumo shook her head hard enough to send her ponytail flying. “You know I can’t do that! I’m not strong enough to make it without you!”

“That’s not true, Maki-chan. You’re more than strong enough.” By now, all that Hotaru could see was the top of Sasaki’s head, her white hair shining bright in the sunlight. “I don’t regret saving you back then. Not in the slightest. And I won’t regret saving whoever I can here. So, Maki-chan—”

There wasn’t a scream, just the burst of static. Mikumo’s voice cracked a few times, but no words came out. _Seven minutes,_ Hotaru thought, as if she were somewhere far away. _Seven minutes later, and Mikumo-san’s going to be gone, too._

“Uzumiku Shigehiro, get your ass in gear and move it!”

Though it hadn’t been aimed at her, Hasekitsu’s shout dragged Hotaru back to reality. On the other side of the wall, Shige was still trembling, but he managed to recover enough of his senses to look at his Partner, rather than the Noise in front of him. “I can’t, ‘Puro! There’s no way—”

“ _Don’t go giving me your lame excuses! What’s the point of losing your courage if you’re not gonna be a coward and run with everything you have?!_ ”

That seemed to snap something to awareness in Shigehiro, and he nodded before gripping onto his hat and turning tail and bolting for it. Ryuko dropped a curse word and took off after him, urging her hoard of Noise onward. Even so, Shigehiro didn’t stop running, trying to melt away into the crowds of the Scramble Crossing. With Ryuko in pursuit, that just left the three Players on the other side of the wall, with no way to advance.

“We should move,” Hasekitsu said, the first to recover himself. “I don’t wanna be here if Copycat decides to change her mind and come back for us. We should loop back around and head to—”

“Center Street,” Hotaru said. Even if there was another path into the Scramble, it would have to be Center Street. Nowhere else would do. “If we’re lucky, the wall will be different, and we can get through, especially with the three of us.”

“Are you stupid?” Mikumo was hunched over on the ground, still facing the wall. Her voice rang out, devoid of emotion. “The three of us? Don’t make me laugh, Tsukiko. You should know since you’re a repeat Player, but losing your Partner means you only have seven minutes left. I won’t make it anywhere with you two, let alone to Center Street.” _Not now that Sensei’s gone,_ she didn’t need to say out loud.

“You’re right,” Hasekitsu said, stepping forward. “Even in the best case, you’re probably done for. So was Sasaki-kun the second she decided to throw Shige out of the way. But if you’re just going to sit here and sulk, you’re not going to do Sasaki-kun’s memory any justice.”

Mikumo’s arm shot out, smacking Hasekitsu right in the chin with an uppercut. He simply held onto his hat and took the blow. “Don’t you go fucking talking like you know a damn thing about Sensei!” Even with tears streaming down her face, Mikumo’s voice didn’t break. “I already know that she wouldn’t just sit here and cry that she was about to die! You don’t have to tell me that!”

“Alright. So then what would she do?”

“Sensei… Sensei’d…” Mikumo looked down and opened up her fists, her two keypins having pressed deep grooves into her palms. “Hey, once I go, these are gone with me, right? Sensei would definitely want to give whoever she could a chance to live so… I’m gonna pass them on to you.”

Hasekitsu raised an eyebrow. “You’re really gonna give them to me?”

“Shut up. Sensei wanted to save everyone, even a stupid monster like you. So I’m gonna do the same.” Mikumo shoved the keypins into Hasekitsu’s hands, then let her arms fall to her sides. “I guess this is the end of the line for me. You two should get out of here before that Reaper comes back.”

“You, too, Mikumo-san,” Hotaru said. She stepped forward, offering the older girl her hand. “I don’t want to think of the chance…but Shige-san or Yoshiya-san might be Erased before your time is up. If that happens, you can Pact with one of us and still make it.” Mikumo looked back up, her eyes filled with tears. In the face of that, Hotaru smiled. “I’m not going to leave anyone behind while I still have the choice. So run, Mikumo-san. Just a little bit longer.”

Reaching out, Mikumo took Hotaru’s hand in her own. She even accepted the help from Hasekitsu on the other side, and all three Players stood up again. One step at a time, they retraced the path from earlier that morning, their footsteps pounding against the ground. Hotaru squeezed onto Mikumo’s fingers, clinging to that life, and somehow willing for a miracle to save them all.

And as they approached Molco, Mikumo’s fingers slipped away. Hotaru was so focused on looking ahead that she didn’t see it. She just came to a stop, and even Hasekitsu slowed his pace. Mikumo was gone, and it was just the two of them left, without another Player in sight.

Clutching the hand that had just been holding onto Mikumo’s to her chest, Hotaru let out a shuddering breath.

* * *

Hotaru couldn’t tell if the distance that it took to reach Center Street was too far or too short. The only consolation was that Hasekitsu hadn’t vanished yet, meaning that Shige had to still be alive—or that seven minutes hadn’t passed yet. The paranoia pressed into her chest again: that their Partners could vanish at any moment, and they wouldn’t be the wiser. The only reason they had known Sasaki was gone was because they had seen it happen.

 _No, that’s not true. Yoshiya-san’s still alive. I can feel it._ Similar to the sensation of his presence that she could feel in battle, she could tell that her Pact was still there, even if she had no idea where Yoshiya was. _I can’t say the same for Shige-san, but it’s better than nothing at all._

“Could you maybe not look at me like I’m about to disappear?” Hasekitsu said, meeting Hotaru’s gaze as they passed by AMX. “It’s not the most encouraging thing to see right now.”

“Sorry.” Hotaru tore her gaze away from Hasekitsu, but she wasn’t sure what else to look at. Intertwining her fingers together, she tried to work out some of the nervous energy bubbling inside of her. Seeing the numbers of the timer through her glove didn’t help much. “I just want today to be over with, that’s all.” _Hopefully with there still being four of us._

The knot in her chest tightened again. It wasn’t her first time watching another Player disappear, but that didn’t make it any less of an unpleasant experience.

Hasekitsu nodded, not seeming as affected. How many people had he watched vanish into static over his many Games? Had it made him numb to it? “Well, we should be able to finish this up pretty quickly. Look, just this wall’s left and we can wrap things up.”

Hotaru slowed her footsteps, coming to a stop before Center Street. Just like before, the wall shimmered before her, see through but still present. No one else stood on the other side. What if the trap was the same as the one before, and they wouldn’t be able to get through? With Sasaki gone, they were short two pins on the other side. Was it possible for everyone to vanish because no one could complete the mission?

That concern slipped away as the wall fell before their keypins, but it couldn’t fully erase Hotaru’s anxiety. Back then, there had been another wall blocking the way to the crossing. She had no doubt that the same would hold true now. She squinted down the road, but the shadows made it difficult to see whether or not there was a wall waiting on them.

The ashen blonde head of hair in the crowd, on the other hand, was much more obvious.

“Yoshiya-san!”

She didn’t even think twice about being wrong. She could feel the Pact between them, the melody of Yoshiya’s own Soul slipping into the similar music of the city around them. Hotaru pushed her limbs to her limits, leaving even Hasekitsu behind. She had so much momentum that she barely stopped herself from barreling into her Partner, who stood there waiting for her with that same amused look on his face as ever.

_Safe. We’re safe._

“Goodness, you’re energetic today, Hotaru-chan.” Sucking in breath to recover from her sudden sprint, Hotaru couldn’t even feel bothered at how flippantly he was taking the situation around them. “I can’t say that I didn’t miss your presence, though. With these restrictions, even I don’t have the capacity to fight on my own.”

Hotaru shook her head in exasperation, but she could still feel her lips curling into a smile. “That’s what your Partner’s for, right?” she asked, before the pounding footsteps echoing up the street reminded her of Hasekitsu. “Ah, Yoshiya-san, you haven’t seen Shige-san, have you? We saw him earlier at one of the walls we couldn’t get through, but…”

Her faltering explanation died as Yoshiya shook his own head, sending his hair swaying. “I’m afraid not. I had some unwanted company of my own to deal with, so I took some less traditional routes to get here. I made it, but I doubt that someone without my level of experience would be able to do the same.”

It was unfortunate, but there wasn’t much she could do about it. She turned around. “Hasekitsu-san—”

She’d been planning on saying _You need to go look for Shige-san,_ but she didn’t get the chance. Hasekitsu bolted straight past them, his red coattails billowing with his movements. “You don’t gotta tell me! I’m leaving whatever happens here to you two!” With his voice fading out, Hasekitsu vanished towards Scramble Crossing. It wouldn’t do any good to shout a wish for luck after him, but Hotaru thought it anyways.

Yoshiya flicked his bangs aside with an amused giggle. “It’s amazing what taking a little timeout can do to a person,” he said almost to himself, then turned to Hotaru. “But he is right, you know. By reuniting with each other here, we should have technically finished the mission parameters. And since we’re not knocked out, that means we still have a little playing to do. Isn’t that right, our dearest little honorary GM?”

Someone scoffed, the sound almost echoing around them. Another melody entered the air in Hotaru’s senses, something loud and nearly disjointed, like two songs playing out of sync with each other.

“You just don’t know how to shut your mouth in the slightest, do you?”

The voice that rang out behind them was several pitches lower than Ryuko’s sharp soprano, falling into the realm of what could have been a pleasant alto, were it not for the malice in the tone. Legs trembling, Hotaru slowly turned around to follow Yoshiya’s gaze. The figure of a Reaper strode forward, her ensemble almost resembling a marching band uniform. The simple double breasted design was a brilliant red against the pitch black fabric. Her long, swamp colored bangs fell into her face, the rest of her waist length hair billowing out behind her as she approached. And while she looked different and there were Reaper wings sprouting from her back, Hotaru could still recognize just who the GM was.

“Ah, that’s right. You didn’t know, Hotaru-chan,” Yoshiya said, coming to stand beside her. “Allow me to introduce the GM in charge of our Muse Game:

“Tendo Suzumebachi.”

* * *

**[Three Days Left – Postponed]**

**[Take Us Back – 733 Days Before]**

* * *

* * *

The Second Fourth Day Bonus Episode:

“Love & Silence”

* * *

Sasaki Mio could still remember the first day that she’d met Mikumo Maki. The girl had been young, at the end of middle school. She’d been growing out her hair, but it only reached partway down her back. Even so, she’d held herself formally, almost to a point of stiffness, and thanked Mio for taking her on as an apprentice. Over time, the two had grown closer as Mio carefully led Maki through her mixed martial arts lesson, one form at a time.

They learned a lot about each other over the years. Simple things, like how Maki’s favorite food was onigiri and how she enjoyed pop music. Deeper things, like how Maki’s mother was in the hospital, just as Mio’s daughter was. Their regular lessons turned into a closer bond—not one that could fill the holes in their lives, but one that could make the things they were missing seem less painful than before.

When the mugger pulled the knife out that night, Mio didn’t hesitate to shield Maki.

When the Reaper gave her the option to fight for her right to live again, Mio didn’t hesitate to agree.

When she found Maki on the first day, Mio didn’t hesitate to become her precious student’s Partner.

And even when she knew that she was fading away, that she wouldn’t get the chance to live again, the last pieces of Sasaki Mio’s consciousness found the traces of the melody that made up Mikumo Maki’s Soul, and the two faded into silence together.


	9. The First First Day:  “End & Reset”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

The First First Day:

“End & Reset”

* * *

Tsukiko Chou drifted into consciousness, recognizing the peaceful but fading experience of dozing. Her body felt warm, comfortable, and she relished in the feeling of sleeping in. Since summer was halfway over, it wouldn’t be long before she would have to go back to school, back to the routine. Rolling off her back and onto her side, Chou kept her breathing even and shallow, hoping to stay relaxed for as long as she could.

And then Chou realized that she could breathe and shot straight up. Her hands flew to her throat, but there was no wound—only smooth, undamaged skin. The burning pain that had once been there was gone, and none of the sticky sensation of blood clung to her skin. She could _breathe_ , even as she found herself inching closer and closer to hyperventilating on the spot. She looked around, hoping to find something familiar or a way to call for help, but all she got was a blank, white space that seemed to stretch on for eternity, with nothing to see but more of that almost blinding fluorescent light.

No, there was something. The shape of a person.

Squinting at the figure, Chou pulled herself to her feet, her body cooperating with far less complaints than she expected. Her clothes—a form fitting yellow tank top and a pair of white shorts—didn’t have any signs of blood, either. _What the hell is going on?_

“Hey, hey, hey! Looks like you already woke up on your own!”

Chou looked up from her self assessment, only to find that the figure from the distance had crossed the space between them and was already in Chou’s face. A pair of blue eyes blinked up at Chou from underneath blonde bangs, and Chou yelped as she backpedaled. The runt without any consideration for personal space didn’t seem to notice her blunder in the slightest.

“Alrighty, since you’re already awake, I’m totes not gonna waste any time!” the blonde said, throwing her hands into the air. Between her pink bear cardigan, pastel skirt, and striped leggings, Chou felt like she was staring down the personification of an exploded pile of candy. “I’m, like, the cutest Reaper ever, Atarashi Coco. Def call me Coco, kay? Bonus points if you add ‘-chan’! And I’m here to tell you all about the Reaper’s Game!”

Still holding one arm into the air while pointing at the white ceiling, Coco winked. Chou raised an eyebrow. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?”

“Huh? You mean you don’t get it?” Coco held one of her fingers to her mouth, the pastel lilac color of her nail polish sticking out against her complexion. “Hey, hey, Chou-Chou, don’t tell me you don’t remember anything. While that’s, like, super sad for you, it makes my job a teensy bit awkward. Y’see—”

Not having the patience to process the ongoing spiel from Atarashi’s mouth, Chou did her best to block it out while pressing a hand to her temple. Oh, she remembered what had happened alright, or at least as much as her mind could piece together. Leaving with Hotaru, her sister, to go pick up some popsicles from the nearby convenience store. Putting up a struggle when the creeps grabbed onto her and falling unconscious to the acid scent of drugs anyways. Waking up in some abandoned place that stank like mold, with ropes tying her up. Mouthing off to their captors when they’d tried to hurt Hotaru and taking the knife to the throat instead. The memories weren’t crystal clear, but maybe that was for the best.

Atarashi was still going on, not even having paused for breath once. “—and ‘cause of that, your Soul is, like—”

“I’m dead,” Chou said, the words not hitting her as hard as she’d thought they would. There just wasn’t any other explanation for it. How else could she explain still being conscious after taking a knife to the throat? She looked around her, but the white expanse of space still didn’t yield any answers. “But not…entirely? What the hell is this place?”

Atarashi puffed up her cheeks in a rather impressive pout. “That’s what I’m, like, trying to tell you! Your body in the RG may have died, but your Soul’s totally still kicking. So, if you want, you could play the Reaper’s Game to try and come back to life. Sweet deal, amirite?”

With her fists on her hips and her chest puffed out, Atarashi looked like a tween in the middle of boasting to her friends. Maybe it was because of the discrepancy between what she was seeing and hearing that made the words register a few seconds too late to Chou. “Wait, wait, wait. For real? I can come back to life?”

Not even minding that Chou had grabbed onto her shoulders, Atarashii nodded her head like some kind of out of control bobblehead toy. “Yeppers! Well, you have, like, the chance to anyways. Only people who win the Game can come back to life. And there’s some other rules, too, you dig? But if you win, it’ll be like you never died in the first place. Isn’t that great?!”

While Chou thought that news might have been the best thing that she’d heard all day, she tried to quell the almost out of control feeling of hope blooming inside her chest. “What kind of Game is it?” she asked. “Don’t tell me I gotta play janken against you or something.” Now that she looked closer, she could see the black, almost skeletal looking wings sprouting from Atarashi’s back. Hadn’t the runt said something about being a Reaper?

“Nah, nothing like that!” Atarashi said, waving a hand through the air and sending her beaded bracelets rattling against each other. “I’m just the one to go and explain the rules. If you decide to give it a shot, you can enter the Reaper’s Game! You have seven days to complete missions and make it to the end. If you do well enough along the way, you can come back to life. You following me so far, Chou-Chou?”

“Why the hell do you know my name?” It was probably the least important thing happening, but Chou spat out the words anyway. The familiar address may have been there to help her relax, but all it did was put the girl further on edge.

“Huh? That’s cause I’m your Processor, silly. I wouldn’t be able to do my job if I didn’t know your full name n’ stuff.” _If that’s the case, then show some damn respect and call me by my family name, you brat,_ Chou thought, crossing her arms. Atarashi held her hands to her cheeks and put on a wide smile. “So what do you say? You wanna hear more?”

 _Seven days completing missions, huh?_ That wasn’t nearly enough information to go on. Even so, it was only a week. If she could make it through that, would she be able to get back to Hotaru in time? Her sister was still kidnapped, still trapped by herself. She’d watched Chou _die._ If Chou could make it back, could somehow take that memory away…

“Alright, I’m in,” Chou said. If she had a chance, it would be stupid not to take it. And if she failed, it wasn’t like her family would be any wiser. Trying to psych herself up, Chou pressed a fist into the opposite open palm. “Just tell me what the rules are. I’ll crush your stupid game.” If it was for Hotaru, she could do whatever it took.

“Whoohoo! Chou-Chou is in!” Atarashi cheered, throwing her hands up into the air once more. It was only because Chou had the sense to back up first that she didn’t take a hand to the face. “Okie dokes, we’ve got some time until the Game starts, so lemme, like, tell you the rules…”

* * *

When Chou next awoke, she didn’t bother trying to stay asleep. Hell, with the uncomfortable press of a hard surface underneath her back, it was easy to drag herself into a sitting position. When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at a block of concrete that easily took up the entirety of her vision. Standing up and stretching out as best as she could, Chou realized that the concrete was none other than the base for the Statue of Hachiko.

It took a few moments for her brain to process what was happening, then the memories of the white room and Atarashi’s explanation of the rules came back. This was the Reaper’s Game—or at least the beginning of it. There was supposed to be some sort of mission, but it didn’t seem to have come in yet. Was she just supposed to stand around and wait for it?

When her mail ringtone went off, Chou supposed that answered that question. She reached for her back pocket, finding her phone in its usual spot. She certainly hadn’t had the thing on her when she died, but she wasn’t about to complain. Trying not to think too hard about how cell service was supposed to work when she was dead, Chou flipped her phone open to read the message.

_Quest One: Gather a party member as you traverse to 104, the place where your journey begins, within one hour. Erasure at the hands of the Reapers awaits those that fail._

_Alright,_ Chou thought, skimming over the lines a few more times. _This seems straightforward enough. I just need to make it to Ten-Four. This “party member” stuff must be the Pact things that Atarashi mentioned. Shouldn’t be too much of a hassle._ She wasn’t exactly sure how she could identify another Player when there were so many people about, but she figured it would be at least somewhat obvious.

Behind her, there was a sound that could have been mistaken for a frog croaking, were it not for how deep it was. Chou jumped, turning around to see a frog easily half a meter tall, with green skin and large yellow eyes. For all intents and purposes, it _looked_ like a normal frog, aside from its back legs, which were a dark blue that looked almost like tattoos, rather than anything natural.

Then one of the frogs leapt at Chou, and she stopped having enough time to see what in the world it looked like.

The tattoo-like legs landed right in her face, sticking to her exposed skin, no matter how hard she tried to shake it off. Then the frog kicked off, launching itself back through the air in a green and blue streak. The force wasn’t enough to knock her over, but the blow did sting. Even worse, the two frogs that were behind the first were gearing up to do the same thing.

Two things occurred to Chou at once:

That these things must be the “Noise” that Atarashi had mentioned.

She couldn’t fight them on her own; she needed a Partner.

Chou clicked her tongue and, even though her natural instinct was to stand her ground, ran for it. Behind, her, the frog Noise continued their pursuit, somehow managing to make the sound of ribbiting intimidating. Not wanting to lose her footing, Chou didn’t look over her shoulder, instead focusing on the path ahead. Sure, since she was able to pass through living people, that eliminated one of her problems, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t fall on her face otherwise.

 _Gotta find a Partner, gotta find a Partner… Ugh, what the hell is thinking to myself supposed to do?_ Keeping up her pace as best she could, Chou sucked in a breath and let her well honed lung power do its job. “Hey, is anyone else a Player around here?!” Since she was dead (and invisible to boot), no one would look at her like she was shouting nonsense. “Hello?! I’m looking to make a Pact!”

Chou strained her ears, waiting on a response, but none cut through the hubbub of the Shibuya streets. Something cold fell over her back, and Chou just caught sight of the approaching shadow with enough time to dodge out of the way. The frog that had been attempting to attack landed on the pavement, its neck bulging out as it let out another deep ribbit. Not wanting to test just how many attacks she could take before her body just gave up, Chou sprinted off again, inching closer to the Scramble, with the shape of 104 in the distance.

“I can’t be the only damn Player around here!” she shouted, losing what little diplomatic edge she had. “I’m sure nobody else wants to get killed by some stupid fucking frogs, so let’s work together already!”

When she heard nothing again, Chou started to consider that maybe Atarashi had been pulling her leg about the whole second chance thing, and that this whole “Reaper’s Game” was just a way to screw dead people over before they disappeared. Except as Chou continued to run forward, she started to hear the sounds of more croaking frogs ahead of her, and underneath them, a voice.

“…here! I’m over here!”

“‘Bout damn time,” Chou said under her breath, then pushed her burning legs onward. It took less than a minute for her to find a fresh cluster of the same Noise, all huddled together on the street. And, just visible underneath the green, a single pale hand grasping out for help.

Chou didn’t even need to think about her next course of action. She launched herself forward, hoping that she could make it on time—if the other Player trampled under the frogs disappeared, Chou was screwed, too. She was so focused on going forward that she’d forgotten about the Noise after her, and one crashed into her back, spilling Chou onto the pavement just before she had the chance to grab onto the hand.

But not far enough away that their fingers couldn’t brush together.

The world immediately erupted into light, and Chou slammed her eyes shut. For a split second after she opened them, she saw everything in double—then the street stabilized in front of her. The crowds were gone, and there was no sign of her possible Partner. But the frogs were still there, all six of them.

 _“When you go to fight Noise, you’re gonna end up in the place called the Noise Plane, you get me?”_ Atarashi had said during one of her many explanations. _“Basically, it splits stuff into two. You go on one side, and your Partner goes on the other. So, like, when one of you wins against the Noise, it takes one off your Partner’s side, too. Pretty cool, huh?”_

 _As long as it means that I can fight, I really don’t give a damn._ She wiped at a scrape on her chin and pulled herself up to her feet. Digging her hands into her pockets, she pulled out the pins Atarashi had left her with, as well as a few of her own. “Let’s see how this is done!”

One of the first pins had a white background, with a strange cyan blue and yellow object on the front. Though she wasn’t sure what it was, Chou focused on the image, and a projectile launched out of her hand and straight into the pavement. Even if it missed the mark, it didn’t change the fact that Chou now had a weapon, and she planned to use it.

And not a moment too soon, it seemed, since the frogs had had enough of waiting and were now hopping forward in an advance. Chou aimed at the one at the head of the pack, then set of a round of projectiles. While the frog didn’t disappear, it did fly back from the impact, crashing into a few of the others for what little good it did to stop them.

Since Atarashi had mentioned something about pins needing time to recharge after attacking (she’d offered to explain _why_ , but Chou had run out of patience for the Reaper’s cutsey talk by then), Chou glanced over her remaining pins, choosing the orange flame against its red background. That one was much easier to visualize, and she pictured the strongest fire she could.

The only problem was that the image failed to materialize into anything substantial.

 _“Oh, but don’t forget, Chou-Chou!”_ the memory of Atarashi’s voice reminded her. _“Everyone’s Soul is, like, different, mmkay? So sometimes you won’t be able to use a psych, no matter how amazeballs your Imagination is.”_

_So the little brat gave me pins I can’t even use? If I see that runt again I’m gonna strangle her!_

Chou channeled her displeasure into punching the next frog that came close to her, though the impact bruised her knuckles more than damaged the Noise. The only saving grace was that the frogs weren’t too aggressive, most of them content with aimlessly hopping around the street. Sensing that her projectile pin was ready to go, Chou launched off another round of attacks, the frog before her crumbling into static.

“Ha, take that!” Chou pumped her fist, letting herself grin at her victory, even if it was just a drop in the bucket. “You Noise things think you can mess with me? _Then come and fucking get it!_ ”

With her last words, giant speakers emerged from thin air and blasted her voice across the streets. The frogs all stumbled, knocked over by the force of the sound. Chou recognized an opportunity when she saw one, and the quick reload on her projectile pin let her tear through two more of the frogs. Her Partner wasn’t slacking, either, and it just took another round of the “knock them over and shoot ‘em up” strategy to wipe the rest of the Noise out.

“Damn straight!” Chou cheered, her adrenaline keeping her standing. In a snap, the rest of the world seemed to come back together. The crowds of people popped back into existence, the sounds of them chattering along with it. With the frogs Erased, there wasn’t any enemies in sight, either. Chou turned, trying to find her Partner. “Hey, nice work there. I’m Tsukiko—”

Chou froze halfway through offering her hand to shake, and her mouth decided that was a great time to stop working, too. The girl before her seemed to be in a similar state, dressed in what looked to be a pair of pale blue pajamas. Her almost auburn hair was pulled back in a waist length braid, the bangs clipped back by a blue-jeweled butterfly clip, and her amber eyes were wide in the same shock that Chou was feeling.

“Chou-chan…?” the girl asked, her voice shaking. Nodding, Chou swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Suzu.”

* * *

Chou had met Tendo Suzume at the end of elementary school, and they’d been close friends ever since. Throughout middle school, they talked often about their shared interest in music, and they’d even written a few songs together. Their friendship hadn’t even broken even as Suzume became hospital bound due to illness.

And now Suzu was part of the Reaper’s Game, just like Chou. The shock at seeing each other again in such an unlikely place had warranted them to taking a time out, seated on the edge of the curb in front of some restaurant named the Outback Café. While people still passed through them on occasion, it wasn’t as many as it would have been if they’d decided to plop down in the middle of the street.

Whether it was out of respect or out of fear, neither of them went and asked how the other had died. Chou couldn’t help but think it was a little unfair, since it was a tad obvious what had happened to Suzu, but she didn’t _want_ to talk about it, so she let the awkward silence drag out between them.

“Chou-chan,” Suzu said, her voice steady again. She sounded like they were having a casual conversation, with Chou at her bedside, except both of them knew that they weren’t. “I know this isn’t really the best thing to say…but I’m glad you’re here. I’m glad you saved me.”

Chou shook her head and bumped her fist against Suzu’s arm. “You helped out with that, too. I mean, you got that spiel, right? We can’t fight if we don’t have a Partner?” After hesitating a moment, Suzu nodded. “We made it through because there was two of us. So if we keep going, we should get through the week easy, yeah?”

Suzu shook her head, as if she couldn’t believe what Chou was saying. That didn’t stop the twitch of a smile from forming on her face, though. “If you say so, Chou-chan. I can’t go slacking off if you’re my Partner, right?” Suzu stood up, using a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked to 104. Despite herself, Chou’s jaw dropped open. When Suzu noticed, she just smiled and stretched her arms up. “Don’t look so surprised. I guess the Reapers decided that I wouldn’t be able to do much good if I couldn’t walk around on my own.”

“R-right.” That made some sense, but seeing Suzu stand on nothing more than her own two feet after all this time would still take some getting used to. Chou pushed herself up from the sidewalk to stand by Suzu’s side. “If you’re okay, then we should get moving. I don’t wanna deal with this whole Erasure thing if we don’t manage to get to 104 in time.”

“We still have some time, but you’re right.” Suzu looked at her palm, and Chou raised her eyebrows. “Come on, don’t tell me you didn’t notice, Chou-chan. They gave us a timer so we can keep track of what’s going on. It’s literally on your hand.”

“Excuse me for getting distracted by the giant frogs trying to murder me.” Even if she hadn’t noticed it, though, that didn’t stop the tattoo-like numbers from ticking down on her palm. There was still twenty-plus minutes left, but Chou didn’t want to risk having another group of frogs get in their way and screw things up. That plan settled, they set off, 104 coming closer with every step. “Hey, you think those guys are all Players, too?” she asked, pointing.

Further ahead, there were several people clustered together, not following the flow of passerby. In any other situation, they might have looked like a gathering of friends or even a club, but the lack of conversation among anyone made it seem like they weren’t particularly close to one another. When Chou noticed that other people on the street pass through the cluster, her suspicions were confirmed.

“Hey, you guys Players, too?” a crisp tenor asked, and Chou almost jumped back at the sound. In front of her, there was a tall man with dark hair, dressed in a vest and dark jeans. Chou and Suzu nodded in unison. “We’re just waiting to see what happens next. A lot of us cleared the mission, but usually we’d be unconscious by now, so we’re trying to figure out what’s going down.”

“‘Usually’?” Suzu asked, pressing a finger against her chin in thought. Chou was thinking something along the same lines, but with a lot more skepticism involved.

Not caring how suspicious he sounded, the guy nodded. “The name’s Hasekitsu. I’ve played the Reaper’s Game a few times before, so I’m used to this sort of—”

“Greetings, Players!” a fresh voice shouted, booming louder than should be normally possible. The group of clustered Players all looked around, trying to identify the source. “Up here. Pay attention, now!” Chou managed to look upwards, just in time to see a shadow zooming down towards the ground. It landed in front of the crowd, kicking up a burst of wind and revealing a form in a dark purple cloak over what seemed to be fantasy getup. The figure pulled the cloak away from its head, revealing long blue hair framing a wide grin. “I’m your Game Master for your week—or, if you will, your Dungeon Master. I’ll be in charge of issuing your quests to see if you’re worthy of coming back to life. I’m sure I’ll get to know all of you in time, but for now—

“Who’s ready to play?”

* * *

**[Six Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The First First Day Bonus Episode:

“Fast & Slow”

* * *

For it being summer, it was a pleasant morning in Shibuya. The sun shined down from a clear blue sky, people walked the streets without incident, and there was an almost energetic vibe to the air as anyone who happened to have a day off went off on their own little adventures in the Real Ground—completely unaware that another world existed right on top of them where the recently deceased were fighting for their right to live.

Kariya Koki sat atop Towa Records with his legs dangling over the edge, licking at his bean paste lollipop as he watched Uzuki terrorize the Players below. Though they’d been working together for the past year, he still hadn’t managed to convince her to slow down in the slightest. Sure, if she wanted to run herself into the ground, Koki supposed that was her business, but it was still an outcome he wasn’t exactly itching to see happen.

Just as Koki was about to lie back and take a nap in the sunshine, the click of Uzuki’s heels landing on the rooftop signaled that chilling out would have to wait. She crossed the space between them, a frown bordering on a pure sneer of disgust contorting her face. “Have you really been sitting up here the whole time, Kariya? The Players aren’t gonna Erase themselves.”

“I figured that I’d let you reap the spoils,” he said, and Uzuki grimaced at his lazy drawl. He wondered if she was still upset that she’d been partnered up with someone whose life philosophy was the exact opposite of hers. “You’re still starin’ down that promotion, yeah? The points are all yours.”

Uzuki brushed a chunk of her bubblegum bangs away from her eyes and scoffed. “I don’t need your charity,” she said, and Koki just shrugged. Since his ambitions were much humbler, he didn’t _need_ to have such a stockpile of points like that. Better let someone who wanted them have ‘em. “Look, I don’t care what you think, but I _am_ going to be an Officer—”

“I was listin’ the first time you told me. Don’t worry.” Uzuki gritted her teeth at the interruption, and Koki exerted enough effort to pull his legs up from the roof’s edge and face his fellow Harrier head on. “I know what I say won’t change your mind. But you do have enough time to take it easy for a bit. Besides, you heard the GM. He wants some one-on-one time with the Players. No storming 104 allowed.”

“What he wants is to be a pain in the ass,” Uzuki said with unrestrained distain.

Koki chuckled and looked out back to Shibuya, taking in the way the city seemed to be waiting for the rest of the week to come. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to get your fill of points, soon. It’s only day one, girl.

“Why don’t you save some of that energy for tomorrow?”


	10. The First Second Day: “Rations & Loss”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The First Second Day:

“Rations & Loss”

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Chou woke up on the concrete again. Suzu was about a meter away, still asleep. Considering that Chou hadn’t seen her friend look so peaceful in a long time, she let it go and took stock of their position. They were back in the Scramble Crossing again, and the time on her phone said it was around nine AM. It was a bit unnerving to know that she’d lost basically a whole day in the blink of an eye.

_Hey, but that just means we survived, right? Only six more days and it’ll be over._

Chou clenched her hands into tight fists, then slowly let the tension seep out of her body. The numbers on her palm from the previous day were gone, but they’d probably be back. Squinting, she tried to catch sight of any of the other Players in the crowd. Though there were a few faces that she thought _seemed_ familiar, she couldn’t be sure thanks to how little time she’d gotten around them after the Game Master’s introduction.

Pressing a hand against her palm, Chou sighed. _What the hell was with that guy, anyway? Atarashi never said he’d be such a weirdo. What was with that wild getup, anyways? He looked like some nerd reject._ That’s _who’s in charge of our lives?_ Playing janken with Atarashi was seeming much more appealing at the rate things were going.

“Chou-chan?” Suzu asked, sounding drowsy. Chou turned and helped her Partner to her feet, even as Suzu rubbed at her eyes. “Any word about the mission yet?”

“Nope, just catching our bearings here.” Following the same process that Chou had, Suzu looked around the crossing. Chou couldn’t help but feel bad that Suzu was still in her pajamas, slippers and all. “You sure you doing alright? You gonna be up to running around today?”

Suzu rolled her eyes and flicked her braid over her shoulder. “I told you, I’m in much better shape than I’ve been in years. If anything, I’ve got too much energy now.” She smiled, then bumped her fist against Chou’s shoulder. “You’re such a worrywart, you know? Why don’t you bring out that competitive side instead?”

“You’re lucky you’re my partner, or I’d show you just how fierce my competitive side can be.” They held their serious expressions for a few moments—before Suzu snorted first. Soon enough, both of them were laughing, even if it was only until their text tones went off together, overlapping with the vibration in Chou’s pocket. “Alright, here we go. Let’s show those Reapers what’s up.”

_Quest Two: Every journey needs the appropriate rations. For a party with diverse tastes, you’ll need a variety of food. Collect the following items and reconvene at Hachiko within two hours. Erasure awaits those who fail._

There was a sharp sting on her palm, not unlike a hornet’s stinger sinking into her skin. When Chou looked, the numbers from yesterday had returned, counting down from two hours without remorse. Beside her, Suzu hummed under her breath. “It’s all food… I guess we need to look for places where we can get into with that Reaper’s Sigil thing, right?”

That would probably be their best bet if they were going to get anywhere. Based on the list in front of them, picking up everything within the time limit would be a challenge, too. But more importantly than that…

Chou grabbed onto Suzu’s arm and started pulling her back towards 104. “Let’s get you some real clothes, alright?”

* * *

Through the combined efforts of their meager wallets (it seemed that the Reapers had given them some starting cash), Suzu could finally change out of her pajamas. Sure, she had to settle for a cheap outfit from Mus Rattus (a simple t-shirt and jeans), but it was better than the alternative. Though she had been confined to a hospital bed for the past year, Suzu still had the ability to make anything look good, or at least classy.

Chou nodded as they stepped back out onto the streets, admiring her handiwork, even as Suzu gave her an exasperated look. “You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Suzu said, smoothing out the folds of her red top. “We should be paying attention to the mission instead of…”

“Oh, hush up, dammit. We gotta take care of each other,” Chou said, scanning their grocery list one more time. If they were alive, it wouldn’t be trouble buying the necessary food. Since they didn’t know what restaurants would let them in, it was a bit trickier to figure out their options. “You don’t think there’s some secret store that happens to sell all of this, do you?”

“As if it would be that easy…”

“Oh, hey, you’re the pair from yesterday,” a familiar voice called, its owner emerging from the crowd soon after. Chou recognized the guy who’d tried to talk to her yesterday—Kasehitsu, wasn’t it? At his side was another guy whose head made it to about his Partner’s shoulders. He had a dark blue zip-up hoodie hanging open over his grey shirt, with capris exposing his mismatched socks. “Perfect. This is a mission that’ll go a lot smoother if we all work together. Like I said, I’m Hasekitsu—” _Whoops,_ Chou thought as the man pointed a thumb at guy beside him “—and this is my partner Nifuji-kun. And you guys are?”

“Oh, I’m Tendo,” Suzu said, at least having some sense to not drop her given name into the conversation. Chou had plenty of reservations about giving her name to a total stranger, but it wasn’t like she could end up kidnapped again if she let her guard down. What good would that do anyways? It wasn’t like they could get anything of worth out of a dead girl.

“Tsukiko,” Chou said, once she noticed Suzu giving her a strange look. Chou cleared her throat and forced her thoughts back on track. “What were you saying about this being a mission best taken on as a group?”

Whether he wasn’t bothered by Chou’s glare or he just felt the mission was more important, Hasekitsu nodded. “Yeah, after I saw the mail, I figured that was best. There’s a whole lot of places that we need to go to make this work, but we have plenty of hands to make it happen with. I mean, if you had a choice of running all around Shibuya or just running to one restaurant, what would you pick?” Chou and Suzu’s shared grimace was answer enough. “Exactly. We had a bunch of Players wake up near Molco with us, so we sent them to the east end. Hiroko-kun and I volunteered to take this half.”

“Oh, then we can all meet up at Hachiko together!” Suzu said, knocking a fist gently into her palm. Nifuji nodded and flashed a thumbs up. “It sounds like a good plan, don’t you think, Chou-chan? Then we can make it to tomorrow with everyone!”

Considering that their time left wasn’t getting any longer, Chou was down for any strategy that meant getting back to Hotaru quicker. “Alright, we can help, too,” she said, flicking two fingers into the air. “Where should we cover so that we can get this shitty mission over with?”

Nifuji pulled out his phone, then typed something in with a practiced speed before showing it to Hasekitsu. “Nifuji-kun and I were gonna head up to Shibukyu and grab stuff from the Sunshine up there. Since everyone else is taking care of the rest, you two wouldn’t mind picking up some ramen from Dogenzaka, would you? There’s a shop there that we Players can get into that should have what we need for the mission.”

Since she hadn’t eaten at all since she’d woken up to Atarashi’s rambling introduction to the Reaper’s Game, Chou’s stomach instantly let out a growl at the idea of food. It would’ve been a lot more embarrassing if the same hadn’t happened to Suzu. Ramen sounded divine, really. “Aight, we’ve got this taken care of. After that, we’ll just need to head back to Hachiko, right?”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Hasekitsu said, reading off another message from Nifuji. “Yup, that’s all we need. With so many of us on the case, feel free to pick up some lunch on the way.” Trying to ignore the heat rushing to her cheeks, Chou punched at Hasekitsu’s arm. Though the hit landed solidly, he didn’t so much as flinch. Suzu giggled, though she quickly suppressed the sound in her hand.

“We’ll meet up with everyone as soon as we can, then,” Suzu said. “Thank you, Hasekitsu-kun, Nifuji-kun.”

Nifuji waved the thanks off, looking embarrassed. This time, when he typed into his phone, he showed off the screen to Chou and Suzu, and the two girls leaned in to get a better look. _[Thanks for your help,]_ the screen said before Nifuji pulled it back to type in a fresh line of text. _[Sorry, but I don’t have any other way to talk to you. I lost my voice for my Entry Fee.]_

 _Entry Fee?_ Chou thought, the words sounding vaguely familiar from Atarashi’s explanation. It had seemed less pertinent than the other rules. So long as she could get back to Hotaru, any cost was worth it. Suzu gasped, and Chou figured that asking for clarification in the middle of all that would be tactless. “I’m so sorry, Nifuji-kun. That must be rough.”

 _[It’s alright. I manage.]_ Chou didn’t know if she could manage to be that calm if the same had happened to her, but she had to give the guy props. _[I’d rather focus on finishing up the mission. Are you two alright with heading to Dogenzaka?]_

“We’ll take care of it,” Chou said, and Suzu nodded beside her. “We’re trusting you two with the rest of the stuff we need.”

Hasekitsu grinned. “Don’t worry. This isn’t my first time around the block. We can handle this.” Tossing off a lazy wave, he started to head up the path towards Shibukyu. “Let’s get going, Nifuji-kun. See you at Hachiko, Tsukiko-kun, Tendo-kun.”

With their farewells exchanged, Chou let out a breath as the tension that had been building up inside her started to ease out. She sure hoped that once she made it back to life, she wouldn’t be wary of strangers for the rest of her life. Stretching out her shoulders, she turned back to Suzu. “Well, I guess today got a bit easier. Let’s get rolling before time’s up.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t too long of a walk to get to Dogenzaka from 104. Chou let herself enjoy the sun shining down on them, though it seemed strange to be taking a leisurely stroll when her life was on the line. Since Suzu hadn’t had the chance to go outside in a while, maybe she was taking the chance to enjoy the moment, too.

“Hey, Suzu.” Chou felt a little bad for breaking the moment of peace, but what Nifuji had mentioned was still bothering her. Suzu tilted her head in curiosity. “Uh, not to sound like a dumbass or anything, but that Entry Fee stuff. I talked to a Reaper about the Game before I started, but she didn’t really explain that part well. Do you know what’s up with that?”

The color drained out of Suzu’s face, and Chou internally apologized for bringing such a shitty topic up. “Uh, the Reaper I talked to said that it’s something we have to give up to play in the Reaper’s Game,” Suzu said, tugging at the sleeve of her t-shirt. “It’s whatever’s most important to us…but if we win, we get it back, though! So I guess it’s like incentive?”

“Whatever’s most important to us, huh?” Chou didn’t think she had anything missing—as least not as obvious as her voice, like Nifuji. Come to think of it, when Atarashi had mentioned it, Chou had already made up her mind to play, so it wouldn’t have mattered much. “Well, it shouldn’t be anything to worry about if we make it through the week. Let’s track down this ramen shop, and we’ll be one step closer to getting that stuff back, right?”

“Yeah…” Suzu looked ahead, surveying the buildings along the side of the road. “Oh! I think this place has a Sigil. This must’ve been what Hasekitsu-kun was talking about.”

As she’d been lazily surveying the opposite end of the road, it took a moment for Chou to find the shop that Suzu was pointing to. When she did, Chou stopped, rubbed her eyes, and looked again, but the sign over the entrance said the same. _Universe, what the fuck?_

“Chou-chan, you okay?” When Chou didn’t respond, Suzu waved a hand in front of her eyes. “Hello, earth to Chou-chan. Are we buying ramen or not?”

“Yeah, we’re buying ramen,” Chou said, even if she wasn’t feeling it. Suddenly, picking up some lunch (or, really, brunch) seemed like a silly idea. She scratched the back of her head and tried to see in through the glare of the sunshine on the shop’s windows. “So, I know that the Sigil means that shopkeepers can see us, but do you think my uncle would overreact if he saw me?”

“Your _what_?!” Though she’d expected the reaction, Chou winced as Suzu’s voice shot up a few octaves. “Your uncle works at this ramen shop? What the hell, Chou-chan?”

Chou held up her hands in a meager defense. “Hey, it’s not like I’m the one that set up shop, you know.” Suzu gave a mock glare and crossed her arms. “I mean, to people inside, it looks like we’re alive, just like everyone else, right? So, since I went missing, it’d be kind of stupid to just show up and order ramen like it was nothing.”

Though Suzu’s eyes widened at the mention of _going_ _missing,_ she focused back up rather quickly. At least Chou hadn’t gone and mentioned anything about being kidnapped; she’d never hear the end of it. “Do you want me to go in and see if he’s working, then? If not, then I’ll come get you and we can have some lunch before we head out.”

“Yeaah… That’d be great, except Uncle owns the place.” Suzu threw her arms up, muttering a few choice expletives in the process. Chou dug into her pockets, producing the last of her yen for the moment. “Just grab what we need to go, and we can eat before heading back?”

“Not like we have much choice.” Suzu accepted the coins and bills, turning to face the entrance of Ramen Don. The light reflected off her butterfly barrettes as she flipped her braid aside. “You want shio?”

Chou grinned. “You know it.”

“Give me fifteen minutes, max.”

* * *

They ate their ramen while sitting on the curb outside of Ramen Don, which didn’t make it taste any less delicious. Chou felt a bit bad for hiding herself from her uncle, but she honestly didn’t have a good explanation for what was going on. How could she just explain that she was dead, but she really needed to pick up some lunch? The more she thought about it, the more ridiculous it sounded. Hell, she had a hard time believing it herself.

Whether or not it made any sense, they still had a mission to do, so Chou and Suzu walked back to Hachiko, taking turns toting the ramen between them. By the time they made it there, it seemed like most of the other Players were already there. Nifuji saw them first and waved, then tapped Hasekitsu’s arm. The taller man spun around. “Alright, looks like the last of us made it. Let’s get this show on the road.”

“Keep your head on, Hasekitsu; we’ve got plenty of time to spare,” Chou said. With how much time they had left on their hands, wrapping up the mission seemed like a breeze. Suzu waved, then followed Nifuji’s directions to place the ramen down with the rest of the food. “You’re the one that was going on about stopping for lunch anyway. I don’t know what you expected out of us.”

Hasekitsu shrugged. “Honestly, I know better than to expect anything to go the way I want it to in this game. I’m just glad that we didn’t have to send a rescue party after you.”

Chou rolled her eyes and went over to join Suzu and Nifuji, who were double checking their gathered food. After a quick consensus, Nifuji gave a quick thumbs up, and Suzu nodded. “Alright everyone,” she called, “we have everything on the list that we were supposed to get. Mission cleared!”

Their little group let out a cheer that probably would have attracted some passerby’s attention if the whole lot of them weren’t inaudible. “Just a moment, though,” someone said, stepping up from the cluster. It was another man, slightly taller than Nifuji and as skinny as a rail. He kept his dark hair slicked back, revealing a sparkling diamond earing. The rest of his attire was from some high end fashion line, though he’d ditched the jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. “Yesterday, when we all made it to 104, the timers on our hands went away. But today, they’re still here.”

The Players around them started to exchange worried whispers. Chou glanced at her hand again, though Suzu didn’t say anything about her supposed lack of observation again. All that mattered was that, just as the man said, the timer _was_ still there, which meant they hadn’t cleared the mission. “What the hell is going on…?”

“Oooh, we’ve got a smart one here,” a lazy sounding voice said. When everybody scrambled to turn around, there was a guy with his orange hair pinned back standing in the street, spinning what looked like a lollipop between his fingers. His black sleeveless parka had a design that suspiciously looked like bones, and a heavy chain dangled from his waist. Beside him was a girl with pink hair, a tight fitting corset over an equally tight fitting blue top, black micro shorts, and white knee high boots. “You’re right; there’s one last thing you gotta do if you wanna make it through today.”

“Too bad we’re not gonna let you make it through!” the girl said in almost a singsong as she brandished a gun. Chou thought it had to be a prop, but the sun shined off the barrel, looking as menacing as the girl’s grin. “It’s time to rack up some points!”

The redhead sighed. “I keep tellin’ ya, no need to go so fast.” The pink-haired one wasn’t listening, though, and the guy just sighed. “Whatever. I won’t complain about getting work done with a little effort, and clustered up Players make it all the easier. Split ‘em in half, and the loser buys ramen?”

“Sure, hope your wallet’s ready for when I wipe every single one of them out.” Pinkie raised her free hand, her sharp nails giving the impression of a claw. Behind her, several red and black symbols appeared in midair, with more coming to flank the guy with the lollipop. Chou recognized them as Noise, just as Suzu reached out to snag her hand. “Nighty night!”

Chou’s stomach lurched, and the world split. The crowd around her had thinned out to around five others, with Noise everywhere—not just the frogs, but bats and hedgehogs, too. In the center of it all stood a massive bear, and the roar it let out sent a collective shudder through everyone present. Chou took a few steps back, even though she knew she couldn’t retreat.

“What are you all wussing out for? They’re just Noise, dammit!”

The shout came from somewhere behind her, and Hasekitsu’s voice near echoed over the field. Before Chou could even turn around to see him, the man had rushed past, sending her hair fluttering through the air. Seconds later, a massive bolder crashed into the bear at the center, with the debris knocking into other enemies. Hasekitsu didn’t hesitate, letting out a short battle cry as he summoned a purple colored icicle with a sharp point from the ground.

Chou clenched her fists and focused on the image of the massive set of speakers from the day before. When she opened her mouth, her voice was amplified as she shouted, “ _You heard the man! Get your asses in gear!_ ”

Just like before, the Noise toppled from the intense vibrations—and from there, the battlefield erupted into chaos. Psyches started flying so fast that it was impossible to tell what was coming from who. Chou wasn’t going to complain about getting some help, and she joined the assault. Thanks to her and Suzu’s short shopping trip and fighting the Noise for money, they’d picked up a few spare pins along the way. Chou had scrapped anything she hadn’t been able to get working, leaving her with several pins attached onto her tank top that got the job done.

With so much going on, Chou quickly lost herself in rotating between her pins. Shoot projectiles at one Noise, punch another, freeze one into place so that someone else could bash it into the ground. With so many Players attacking, the smaller Noise were gone soon, and it was only the bear left. Just as Chou approached, the thing launched itself up into the air with surprising ease, its claws slamming down onto the ground. The shockwave blew Chou back, and she hissed as she slammed her elbow right into the pavement.

Some of the others weren’t so lucky.

Two of the Players that Chou hadn’t been introduced to yet had ended up right beneath the bear’s claws—and it wasn’t letting up. There was a deep rumbling from the Noise’s throat as it continued to press down on them. One of the Players let out a strangled gasp as they tried to reach out for help.

Chou and Hasekitsu moved at the same time.

Chou charged forward, punching the Noise in the side and hoping to knock it out of the way. As the throwback of the psyche kicked in, Hasekitsu dropped another massive bolder onto the field. Trying to keep her distance unless she was the next victim of the beast’s claws, Chou shot off her rounds of projectiles, hoping that it would be enough. Between her and Hasekitsu, the bear was surrounded by a continuous onslaught of psyches until the thing went up in static.

Clutching her chest, Chou let out a heavy exhale. Even Hasekitsu seemed a bit winded as he surveyed the scene. With the Noise gone, the world stabilized, and Chou dragged Suzu into a hug the second her Partner was in eyeshot. Suzu returned the gesture, and they took a moment to appreciate that the other was still there, still safe.

A whistle broke the mood entirely.

“Not bad, not bad,” Lollipop said, observing them from behind his tinted sunglasses. Even though they’d beaten their Noise, he still had that smile on his lips, as if he hadn’t cared about the outcome in the first place. “You managed to knock out two whole Pacts there, Uzuki. You’re doing good for a newbie.” At the words, Chou finally looked around her—while they’d managed to save one of the Players that had been trapped by the bear Noise, there were still several missing from their group.

Pinkie scoffed, brushing her bangs aside. “I don’t want some pity compliment from you, Kariya,” she said, her pink lipstick forming the shape of a frown. “You went and did double that. The damn ramen’s yours.”

“What can I say, girl? Experience.”

 _Double? They don’t mean—_ Clinging onto Suzu’s hand once more, Chou looked over at where the other group of Players had been standing, even as the Reapers continued to chatter between themselves. Suzu gasped softly, but it wasn’t the sight of almost all the other Players gone that made Chou start to tremble.

The man who’d spoken up about their timers was still there, and a girl stood at his side. She was dressed in a muted purple top with three-quarter sleeves and a gray denim skirt. Her dark green hair was pulled back into tiny pigtails, and her brown eyes were wide with fear, just like the last time Chou had seen her. The girl may not have seen Chou, but Chou had definitely seen her, even if she wanted to deny that the person before her had a face that matched Chou’s own in every way.

Clutching onto Suzu’s hand hard enough that it felt like their fingers may break from the force, Chou forced the whisper out of her mouth:

“Nee…chan?”

* * *

**[Five Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The First Second Day Bonus Episode

“Superior & Iron”

* * *

Daikoku Masato sat at the bar in the Dead God’s Pad, taking notes that had nothing to do with the morning Officer meeting going on around him. Masato had already done his work for the week—he’d even submitted missions in advance. At this point, it was just tweaking things to be exciting enough for the Players and keeping the Game running smoothly. Chatting things over every day just seemed like a waste.

_Oh, hey, maybe I can go ahead and change this so that…_

“Daikoku. Would you mind paying attention to what we’re supposed to be doing for just one second?”

Masato glanced up to see none other than Konishi Mitsuki glaring across the room at him from her spot at one of the couches. No matter how refined the woman was with her blonde curls, blue eyes, and somewhat frilly attire, Konishi was one person that Masato wasn’t willing to test the limits of her patience. “I’m listening,” he said. “What’s important enough to take me away from keeping the Game in working order?”

Okay, maybe he was willing to throw a little snark out there. He must’ve managed to roll an incredible save, as Konishi only narrowed her eyes before continuing. “We were actually discussing just that. We weren’t expecting you to make an appearance in front of the Players so early.”

Masato bobbed his head, controlling the movement enough so that the hood of his cloak didn’t slip off to his shoulders. “What can I say? There’s no sense in a DM just hiding himself away the whole time if you ask me.” Sure, the Reaper’s Game wasn’t the exact same as a tabletop campaign, but it was close enough that Masato didn’t mind the differences—even as Konishi _tsk_ ed at his choice in diction.

“Well, it doesn’t upset the usual course of the Game too much, so it shouldn’t be much of an issue,” Kitaniji Megumi said from the center of the room. Kitaniji’s dreadlocks, sunglasses, cherry red headphones, and dark suit didn’t paint the perfect picture of a leader, but even Konishi couldn’t openly protest against the Conductor. “Erasure of the Players seems to be on par for the first day of the Game, so we’ll leave the rest to you, Daikoku.”

Masato held a hand to his chest and dipped into the best bow he could manage while still sitting on a stool. “Much appreciated, Kitaniji-san.” Willing to test his luck stat out, he smiled across at Konishi. “If it makes you feel better, though, I’ll stay out of the field for today, just for you Konishi-chan.” Just because she’d gotten a promotion first didn’t mean he wasn’t older than her.

Not that it saved him from the full brunt of Konishi’s glare and the distinct feeling that she’d screw him over at the next best chance she got.

_I’ll just…avoid the Processor’s Den for today then._

When Kitaniji announced the end of the meeting, Masato made some excuse he didn’t remember and made his escape before Konishi had even started to rise from her seat.


	11. The First Third Day: “Combat & “Incentive”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The First Third Day:

“Combat & “Incentive”

* * *

When Chou next awoke, her heart was thundering in her chest. It took just a few seconds for her brain to kick into overdrive afterwards, and she bolted upright on the concrete, standing up so fast that her head spun in dizziness. Her phone hadn’t yet gone off with the mission, but it didn’t need to—forget the Reaper’s Game, Chou had her own mission to take care of: find Hotaru as fast as possible and make sure that the day before hadn’t been some sick dream.

 _Did Nee-chan really end up dying, too? Did they kill her, the same way they did to me?_ Unwanted, the memories flashed back up, and Chou’s hand flew to her throat as she choked on a breath. There still wasn’t any blood, still wasn’t any wound, but it _felt_ like there was, the fire burning across her skin and through her veins as her mind failed to keep working and her body gave up—

“…ou-chan. Chou-chan!”

A hand landed on her shoulder, and Chou whirled around, smacking the touch away before she realized Suzu was the one who had reached out. She looked stunned for a moment, before concern washed over her expression. “Sorry,” Chou whispered, the only sound that she could will to come out of her mouth. “You startled me.” Chou coughed, clearing out her throat, and put on a brave face. “You ever just wake up in a panic? I must’ve been having a bad dream or something, huh?”

It was a lame excuse, and Chou should have known better than to try to pull the wool over Suzu’s eyes. “Chou-chan,” she said in reprimand, and Chou looked away. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but I’ll listen if you ever need it. Heavens knows you’ve heard me complain about my problems plenty of times.” What Chou wouldn’t give to be in Suzu’s hospital bed, griping about the hassles of schoolwork. Suzu smiled. “Do you want a hug?”

“…Only if it’s a short one.”

Though Chou wouldn’t admit it out loud, she would have been fine with the hug lasting much longer—it was a nice reminder that Chou wasn’t in the same situation she’d been in before. Sure, she was still dead, but she felt safer in the UG where she had psyches as a means to protect herself.

“Alright, then,” Suzu said, resting her hands on her hips and looking around them. “Looks like we woke up around A-East this time.” Sure enough, Chou could see the familiar entrance to the concert hall that she’d attended several times, though the streets were much emptier than they were when a live show was happening. Sunlight glinted off a few vending machines, which seemed to outnumber the amount of living passerby. Chou didn’t see any signs of Hotaru—or any other Players for that matter. “Hey, there’s a shop with a Reaper’s Sigil on it— Ah, damn, it’s just Lapin Angelique.”

The image of Suzu playing dress up in frills sprung into Chou’s mind, and she snorted into her fist. Suzu rounded on her, face tinting red. “I know what you’re thinking, Chou-chan. Stop right now!”

“What, you don’t wanna cash in on the goth loli trend? I hear it’s pretty popular right now.” Suzu threw up her arms in exasperation, marching her way down the street, and Chou followed closely after. “Sorry, Suzu, but this whole Pact thing means that you’re stuck with me.”

“I know. And if I’m going to put up with this damn Game all day, I’m at least not going to do it on an empty stomach.” Suzu pointed ahead, and Chou recognized the path she was taking. “If we go this way, we should be able to get to Dogenzaka. Another meal of ramen on the curb is better than nothing.”

Chou nodded, falling into step alongside Suzu. No matter how she looked around, she didn’t see any signs of other Players, which also meant no sign of Hotaru. She almost wanted to believe that she’d been imagining things from the stress the day before, but the more Chou thought about it, what else had she expected to happen to Hotaru after she was gone? Maybe it was better that they were both dead, instead of shipped off to whatever the assholes who kidnapped them had been planning to do with them.

“Hey, Suzu?”

“Hm?”

“I know we’re focusing on getting breakfast right now, but do you mind if we skip over the mission for today?” Suzu’s footsteps faltered, her eyes going wide before her brow furrowed—Chou had seen the look of concentration hundreds of times, and she held up a hand to stop the approaching torrent of words. “Look, I get that we gotta clear missions to get back alive, but I’m worried about Nee-chan. I—I know it’s selfish, but I’d rather make sure she’s okay first.” Saying it out loud made Chou recognize how ridiculous the idea was; she was all but asking Suzu to put her own life on hold for Hotaru’s…

The sharp flick to her nose cut Chou from her thoughts, and the two girls settled into their familiar glaring staring contests. “Since when did you hesitate to ask for what you wanted?” she asked. “Did they take your guts for your Entry Fee?”

“No! This is just kind of literally life or death, and I’m not going to ask you to give up your chance to come back just so I can go protect Nee-chan! That’s not fair to you.”

“Oh, I get it, they took your damn common sense!” Suzu threw her braid over her shoulder with a huff, the auburn strands catching the sunlight in flecks of gold. Chou stared; though it wasn’t unusual for Suzu to get pissed off at her, usually the reasons made a lot more sense. “Chou-chan, are you seriously going to tell me that you think I wouldn’t help you watch out for Hotaru-chan? Even if you and I made it to the end, you’d never forgive yourself if you could have helped her and didn’t.” The scowl smoothed off of Suzu’s face, and she smiled, patting Chou’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend, Chou-chan. You know that I’ll support you.”

Feeling a combination of relieved and like a morn for thinking Suzu would just toss Hotaru aside, Chou swallowed the stupid lump in her thought and reached for Suzu’s hand. “Suzu, then—"

“I still think that ditching the mission is fucking stupid, though.”

Chou dropped back into a full blown scowl. “You just fucking said—"

“I said that I support you helping out Hotaru-chan.” Suzu waved a finger through the air in a motion that would have put their music teacher to shame. Still simmering, Chou blew her bangs out of her eyes, wondering if it was against the rules of the Reaper’s Game to punch your Partner in the gut. Surely Atarashi would have said something to that effect if it were the case, right? “But think about it, Chou-chan. She’s probably going to be working on clearing the missions just like the rest of us. Wouldn’t it make sense to go along with it so we could cross paths with her?”

Opening her mouth to only snap it shut again, Chou knew Suzu had a good point—and Suzu knew it, too, judging by the her expectantly raised eyebrow. “Okay, fine, that makes more sense. Let’s go get you some ramen before the Mission mail gets here.” Chou pivoted and set off at a march, though she didn’t get very far thanks to hitting a wall. “Ow, dammit!”

Suzu, rubbing at her nose and hissing, shared the same fate. “That looks like another one of those walls the Reapers set up.”

“Yeah, but where’s the Reaper to let it down?” Just like there weren’t any other Players out and about, Chou didn’t see any signs of the telltale red hoodie that would let them pass.

“Figures.” Suzu kicked at the wall with no results, looking disappointed. She sighed, turning back around and facing in the path past Lapin Angelique. “There better be something to eat that way or I’m gonna riot.”

* * *

There was, in fact, food in the other direction, in the form of the Shibukyu Sunshine Burger branch. Suzu didn’t seem to mind, munching away on her burger for breakfast while Chou continued glancing out the window for any sign of Hotaru. As the morning foot traffic picked up, it became trickier to even see anyone, let alone a fellow Player.

_Relax. She was okay yesterday, and the mission hasn’t even started yet. Hotaru’s shy, but she’s resourceful when she wants to be. She’ll be alright._

No matter how much of an internal pep talk Chou gave herself, though, she still finished off her soda with her apprehension growing. It was so bad that, when her phone went off, Chou almost slapped it off the table in her haste to grab it. The employee wiping off the next booth gave her a strange glance, but Chou was too busy flipping open the mission mail to care.

_Quest Three: The next stage of your journey will require entryway into locked places. Three sets of enemies guard the keys that you’ll need. Rumor has it that your first target is in the area to the southeast. Seek them out to proceed. You have six hours. Erasure awaits those who fail._

“Southeast in Shibuya, huh?” Suzu said, half chewing on her drink’s straw. “That should take us towards the station, wouldn’t it? Or at least close by.”

“Probably,” Chou said, already gathering up her wrappers and racing towards the trashcan. Without a word, Suzu followed course. Within the span of a few minutes, they were back on the streets. With the path to Dogenzaka blocked off, they had to take the route past 104, but Chou didn’t care much. No longer constrained to a hospital bed, Suzu could keep up without issue, letting Chou sprint ahead and through the crowd and cutting a beeline for their destination. The only problem with the plan was that she didn’t see the other Player before crashing right into them.

_Can I go anywhere without running headfirst into something today?!_

“Chou-chan, you okay?” Taking Suzu’s offered hand, Chou groaned, stood up, and brushed off her shorts. “Oh, it’s Nifuji. Are you alright?”

Trying not to sulk too much over her wounded pride, Chou looked over to see the Player in question already tapping at his phone. [I’m okay. Hopefully the fall didn’t hurt you too bad, Tsukiko.]

“I’d rather trip than get hurt by some Noise,” she said. Besides, she hadn’t even ended up with a scraped knee or anything like that. _If Nifuji is here, then that means we’re on the right track for this mission. And where Nifuji is, then that means—_

“Hey, hey, if it isn’t Tendo-kun and Tsukiko-kun.” As if summoned by the thought, Hasekitsu emerged from the crowd as well, his hand up in a two-fingered wave. Suzu returned the gesture, while Chou looked on impassively. It wasn’t like it was Hasekitsu’s fault that he _wasn’t_ Hotaru, but Chou didn’t have much patience to handle anyone else for the moment. “If I had to guess, I’d say you guys were headed towards the station, yeah?”

Suzu nodded. “We think that’s where the Mission is telling us to go. Did you two think the same thing?”

[It makes the most sense. If not, then hopefully we’ll at least see a hint along the way.]

“If we’re all headed the same way, then there’s no sense standing around here,” Chou said, eager to get a move on. “Six hours or not, if we waste too much time, we’re not going to get anywhere. Especially since it sounds like this is only the first part of the mission.” _I wouldn’t put it past that Game Master weirdo to make it impossible to catch up with the other Pacts if we fall too far behind._

“Just what I was thinking, Tsukiko-kun,” Hasekitsu said, grinning. “I’m not a fan of missing out on a good mission opportunity, so let’s keep moving. You good to go, Nifuji-kun?” Nifuji gave a thumbs up, and Hasekitsu took that as the signal to start off, his long strides carrying him through the streets. Since he had a point, Chou gestured for Suzu to follow, and the four of them set their course again.

It didn’t take too long for them to make it back to Scramble Crossing, and Chou found herself clenching her fists, even as she walked. Keeping pace with Hasekitsu, she managed to catch sight of a red-hoodied Reaper standing near the path to Hachiko. _Great. More things to waste our time._

Hasekitsu chuckled, and it took Chou a moment to realize he was reacting to the sour expression on her face. “Don’t look so upset, Tsukiko-kun. Wall missions are a great way to rack up points for when you reach the end of the Game. Plus they make it more enjoyable than just walking around Shibuya, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, no.” _Whatever this guy’s idea of fun is, I don’t wanna know._ Taking point, Chou marched up to the Reaper and pointed in their direction. “Hey, you. What do you we gotta do to make it past this wall?”

“Players, huh?” the Reaper said, as if that much wasn’t obvious. “Want past this wall? Fight a three-chain reduction battle against some Noise.”

“Three-chain?” Suzu asked, having caught up. Judging by Nifuji’s face, he shared the sentiment, even if he couldn’t express it in verbal words. “I don’t remember getting told about that in the rules. Is it some sort of special fight?”

Though Chou couldn’t see the Reaper’s face with the bandana pulled over it, she still heard their inhale of opening their mouth to speak. Hasekitsu beat them to it, though. “Have you two not tried to fight more than one set of Noise at a time yet? You can actually fight lots of opponents in a row, though the Noise do get tougher the further along you go. In comparison, three-chain isn’t anything to get fussy about.”

“And just why the hell would you want to make things more likely to kill you if you didn’t have to?” Chou asked. She supposed that was the point of the Reapers assigning something difficult to better challenge them, but even that explanation didn’t explain why Hasekitsu seemed excited about the idea of picking a long fight.

[We’ve done a few. Hasekitsu says you tend to get better rewards that way. Though he forgot to mention what they were called.]

Hasekitsu shrugged. “My bad.” Nifuji shook his head, signaling that it was alright. “And, well, to be honest, Tsukiko-kun, it’s way more exciting to fight tougher opponents when you’ve been at this for a while. The sort of Noise they give to normal Players is essentially child’s play for me right now. I like a little challenge where I can.”

Chou was about to say that that idea was still stupid, but Suzu said, “Well, if that’s the case, we shouldn’t have any problem taking care of this challenge. Let’s go ahead and scan so we can keep going on the mission.”

“Actually, that won’t be necessary.”

The voice fit right in that tricky balance between tenor and bass, too deep to be Hasekitsu and too high to be the Reaper who’d given them the mission. Chou turned around with everyone else to see the man with the diamond earring who had been one of the Players that survived the previous mission’s final assault. And standing beside him was—

“Nee-chan!” Not even caring about what the guy had to say, Chou broke through her paralysis to rush to Hotaru, grabbing onto her shoulders as if her twin would vanish into nothingness without physical touch tying them together. “Are you okay? What the hell are you even doing here?”

Hotaru grimaced, the look of guilt flashing across her face while tears poked at the corner of her eyes, threatening to spill over. “I-I’m sorry. I just—I couldn’t—” A sob cracked through Hotaru’s voice, and she sucked in a shuddering breath, burying her face into Chou’s shoulder and grabbing onto her tank top. Without even needing to think about it, Chou’s arms slipped around Hotaru in a hug. “I was so _scared—_ ”

The terror of what had happened still resonated in Chou now, and she could only imagine what it had been like for Hotaru, to watch it happen, to see her twin die right before her eyes, blood and violence and all. Though it was selfish, Chou was glad that she had died first; she couldn’t imagine Hotaru disappearing in front of her while she couldn’t do anything about it.

“It’s okay, Nee-chan. It wasn’t your fault.” Chou had made her own decisions—not to say anything of the people who had kidnapped them in the first place. They were far more at fault than Hotaru ever could be. “What happened sucked, but we’re here now. If we kick this Game’s ass, we can go back home, and everything will be alright!”

Hotaru sniffled, but she nodded against Chou’s shoulders. “R-right. Kano-san and I have been working together, but I’m sure with your help we’ll make it, Nee-chan.”

“Not that I mean to interrupt this moment,” Hotaru’s Partner—Kano, it seemed—said, “but I’m guessing this is your sister you were looking for, Tsukiko-san?” Hotaru quickly worked on wiping her face off and nodded as she turned to face the rest of their group. Suzu looked relieved yet worried, Hasekitsu and Nifuji were watching, the latter somewhat more awkward, and Kano had a thoughtful look on his face. “While I’m glad you’ve found each other, I was under the impression that you were the younger of the two…”

Suzu giggled. “That’s kind of their thing. They’re twins, so they say it doesn’t matter if one of them is the oldest.” In near perfect synchronization, Chou and Hotaru nodded. Kano raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment further. Suzu, still looking amused but remembering her manners, turned to Kano. “I’m Tendo.”

Kano, too, put on a polite smile and dipped his head the slightest fraction. “Kano. It’s a pleasure.” If there would have been any point to it, Chou could easily imagine Kano pulling out a business card from his pocket. The one exchange was enough to send of a flurry of introductions, ending with the nervous delivery of from Hotaru. Chou patted Hotaru on the back for a good job at talking in front of so many strangers and received a grateful smile in return. Kano clapped his hands together. “Well, as important as it is for us all to get to know each other, we should move on. Tsukiko here and I already took care of the conditions for clearing that wall, so we should be able to pass, am I correct?”

The Reaper manning the Wall, who had been passively observing their conversation, dipped their head in a sharp nod. “That’s right. Wall clear.” A sound not unlike a high pitched burst of static happened, and the Reaper stepped aside.

Hasekitsu sighed. “Man, I was looking forward to getting a little workout.” Nifuji elbowed Hasekitsu in the side, flashing something on his phone screen that Chou couldn’t see. “Yes, yes, I’m sure there will be more enemies to fight later. Let’s get moving, shall we?”

With their number grown to six, they headed towards Hachiko and the station beyond, Hasekitsu in the lead and toting Nifuji along with him. Chou hung back by Hotaru’s side, taking her sister’s hand, and Suzu gave her a supportive smile before pushing Kano on to give them some space. The twins followed behind once they had a bit of distance to talk in, their sneakered footsteps against the road.

Three days ago, they had walked like this, headed out to the convenience store without a care in the world. And now they were dead, walking through Shibuya while hoping that they wouldn’t become Erased, without any way to get home.

_No, no, you can’t think like that! You told Nee-chan that you’re both going to make this through this. We have a chance!_

“Nee-chan,” Hotaru said, her voice no longer watery. Chou blinked out of her thoughts; regardless of whether it was because they were twins or not, Hotaru always had a way of knowing when Chou was thinking herself into a rut. “D-Don’t worry about things so much, okay? I… I’m managing okay, and Kano-san has been a strong Partner so far. Oh, and you’re great, too, Nee-chan, plus you have Suzume-san! If anyone can make it through this, it’s you two!”

Before she could even realize what was happening, the corners of Chou’s mouth started to turn up. She hooked her arm around Hotaru’s shoulders and noogied a fist into her hair. “You’re doing that thing where you’re selling yourself short! You and that Kano guy were the one pair to make it through that storm of Noise yesterday. I’m sure you’re kicking ass, like you always do.”

Hotaru tried to push away Chou’s noogie, but with little effect. “I-I guess so…”

“See, you’re going it again, Nee-chan; you can’t always be like that!”

“Chou-chan, Hotaru-chan, come on! We think we’ve found what we’re supposed to do!”

Suzu’s voice made it over even the sounds of crowds, and Hotaru broke away from Chou’s grip. They hadn’t made it fully to the station, but they didn’t need to. Close to the Moai statue stood two familiar shapes:

The Reapers from the day before.

Chou flung out an arm to act as a shield at the same time that Hotaru grabbed onto Chou’s tank top as if to pull her back. Somewhat ahead of them, everyone else had gone on the defensive, though Hasekitsu had that same stupid grin from earlier on his face. Pinkie pulled a face between disgusted and bored, while Lollipop took his time enjoying a lick from said candy before speaking. “Easy there. We’re not about to go off on you like we did yesterday. Believe it or not, this is part of the mission.”

Deciding that it would be better to be closer to the others instead of hanging back, Chou lead Hotaru to stand between Suzu and Kano, the latter of which had raised a thin eyebrow. “You two wouldn’t happen to be the first targets for the mission, would you?” he asked. “If I recall correctly, Reapers aren’t allowed to attack Players directly.”

Pinkie scoffed, brushing aside some of her short bangs. “Yeah, like, that’s how it normally is. But the GM said that’s no fun, and he made an exception.” That same malicious smile curved up her lips as she stretched out her fingers. “He said that today was an opportunity to rack up some points, and I fully intend to cash in.”

Funnily enough, Chou didn’t feel too worried about Pinkie—it was the redhead Lollipop guy who sent a shiver up her spine, even with his lax demeanor. After all, he’d been the one to wipe out all but one Pact the day before, and that had just been his Noise. _Even though there’s six of us, I’m not sure if I like those odds._ Judging by Suzu’s creased brow, she was thinking something along the same lines.

“What? Don’t tell me you’re all getting cold feet already. The day’s barely gotten started,” Lollipop said, drawling through the words. With a smirk, he shrugged. “Though I won’t complain if you don’t want to go. This sort of special assignment is too much work if you ask me.”

“Like hell!” Pinkie spat the words, turning her ire on her fellow Reaper. “I don’t care if you don’t want to do this, Kariya; I’m taking on these brats whether you like it or not.” With a click of her tongue, Pinkie turned back to the gathered Players. “You all just gonna be a bunch of pansies and get Erased?”

Chou sneered, clenching her fists at her sides. It was such an obvious taunt, but like hell she was going to just let someone else tell her it was time to roll over and die.

Hasekitsu was the first to step forward, not even looking the slightest bit daunted. “Well I’ve never had the pleasure of fighting any Reaper but the GM, so I’m not about to pass this up. What do you say, Nifuji-kun; up to a challenge?”

Nifuji didn’t need to type anything, letting out a sigh before standing next to Hasekitsu. Chou steeled her resolve again. _We’ve survived this much, so I don’t plan to back down, especially if it means I can help Nee-chan get back to life._ “Suzu!”

“I’m with you, Chou-chan!”

“Well, I guess that just leaves us, then,” Kano said, adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves so they were securely rolled up along his arms. “Tsukiko-san, do you intend to fight?”

Hotaru’s swallow was audible, and Chou looked back to her sister. Considering that Hotaru got nervous over even simple things like speaking in front of the class, it wasn’t surprising to see her hesitate over such an obvious conflict. Even though she had a Partner, Chou was certain that Hotaru felt like she was having to face things on her own. _We’re not in this alone, though. I’m going to be here with you!_ Not wanting to waste the time on words, Chou held out her hand.

A beat passed, and Hotaru took it, joining the line of Players ready to face the challenge before them.

“’Bout time!” Pinkie sneered, pulling out her gun. Hasekitsu matched her fierce look with a toothy grin of his own. “Don’t blame me when you all turn into Points!”

Lollipop sighed. “Too bad. I was looking forward to an easy wrap-up for the week.” Finished with his candy, the redhead stowed the leftover stick into his parka pocket, and for the first time, Chou got a sense of a muted but still present malicious intent. “Ah, well. Game on, huh?”

Chou was so ready for the shift to the Noise Plane that she hadn’t even fully materialized before she was launching off a barrage of projectiles. Lollipop was the only one around, with Pinkie nowhere in sight, and Hotaru and Nifuji had landed not too far away. The latter took a moment to steady himself before slashing his arm through the air, releasing a shockwave that collided into the Reaper.

“Nee-chan!” Chou shouted across the field. “You made it through that fight yesterday, so you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just do what you did before, and you’ll be fine.”

The words seemed to snap Hotaru from her thoughts, and she clutched onto the pouch dangling from her neck for support. “O-okay!” Her concentration didn’t seem to yield any results at first—until Chou saw the electricity sparking around Lollipop. He didn’t outwardly flinch, but Chou could see his grimace, as well as the opening he was giving her. She sucked in a deep breath, picturing her speakers once again before letting out a bellow:

“ _That’s what I’m talking about!_ ”

She expected the stagger effect—only to realize too late that Lollipop had those damn skeletal wings open and was hovering off the ground. Still looking half asleep, he let out a yawn. “Okay, you kiddies all warmed up now? Let’s get started, then, shall we?”

Brushing off the fresh round of flame that Hotaru had summoned and Nifuji’s shockwave assault as if they were nothing, Lollipop wound up his arm as if preparing a baseball pitch, then with a single sweep of his arm unleashed several tan-colored projectiles. Chou realized they had the shape of shuriken moments after one almost took off her nose while she dodged—not realizing that she’d left a clear path between the attack and Hotaru, who’d frozen in shock at seeing the oncoming onslaught. “Nee-chan!”

There was a flicker of movement—and Chou caught sight of Nifuji several meters away from where he’d been a moment ago, Hotaru pulled along with him. From the distance between them, Chou couldn’t hear Hotaru’s voice, but she could still see the “thank you” form on her sister’s lips, and Nifuji nudged her in the side to direct her back to the fight. Chou clenched her fists and charged forward, aiming a punch at Lollipop. The strike hit true at his chest, but the harsh buzz of electricity and force collided with her side, sending pain through her body as she collided with the ground. Through somewhat unfocused vision, Chou could make out the massive bright ball of crackling energy, circling Lollipop like a sentry.

The glow of a smaller ball of energy became much more pressing as Lollipop aimed it right at her face.

The next blur of Nifuji’s movement picked Chou up, and her stomach lurched as it was left in the wake of her shifting across the street battlefield without much more warning. Since it prevented her from getting a Psyche shoved down her throat, Chou wasn’t about to complain, and she could see Hotaru’s next round of flames hit their target. It wasn’t enough to contain Lollipop, though, who spread his wings again and glided back out of the way without any discernable effort. Hotaru’s Psyche followed him, and Chou and Nifuji both launched their respective projectiles and shockwaves, cornering Lollipop in front multiple angles. Lollipop’s grunts came with slowed movements, all the way up until he let out a surprisingly loud grunt. Chou almost didn’t have enough time to dodge out of the way of the new and largest projectile, which crashed into the concrete and let out several bits of what constituted as Psyche shrapnel. One struck her straight in the back, and she fell face first into the concrete again, cursing all the way from the pain.

Hotaru’s scream from behind Chou indicated that her twin had taken far worse.

Chou snarled, pulling herself up to her feet on sheer spite alone, standing as a fresh shield between Lollipop and Hotaru. Nifuji rolled over on the ground, silent, but gasping for breath through gritted teeth. Lollipop pulled out a fresh sweet from his pocket, having the audacity to unwrap it in the middle of the battle and pop it into his mouth. “What’samatter?” he asked around the stick. “You were so fired up earlier. Not that I have a problem with getting a free pass, though I’m sure Uzuki’ll complain about it.”

“Not a fucking chance!” Taking full advantage of the short pause in battle, Chou’s mind raced through their available options. _He’s got plenty of attacks to pick us off from a distance, plus that barrier thing gets in the way of any close range attack. There’s no way we’re gonna get anywhere, unless—_ Her eyes widened, and she worked on winding up her next Psyche.

_Unless one of us plays the bait and lets the others get a free shot!_

There wasn’t any time to verbally communicate her plan, and it would have ruined the effectiveness anyways, so Chou trusted Nifuji and Hotaru to at least see the opening. Her fists clenched tight, Chou charged again, letting the Psyche blast her forward. “Not done yet, huh?” Kariya said, eyes flashing behind his tinted glasses, and the sparking, orbiting energy ball sprung up again. Chou pulled close to it—and then swapped tactics, canceling her punch and launching off as many of her own projectiles as she could. Only half of them struck Lollipop, with the rest intentionally filling the air around him, creating a temporary dome of bright blue lights that Chou hoped would obscure Lollipop’s sight of the others behind her.

The familiar blur of dark movement behind him showed her plan had paid off.

In a move of surprising strength, Nifuji moved in the moment that Lollipop’s orbiting Psyche faded away, the Player’s hand snatching onto the long chain dangling from the Reaper’s waist. Nifuji didn’t just pull Lollipop off balance, but also swung the redhead up high in an overhead arc before slamming Lollipop into the concrete with a series of crunches and grunts.

Chou barked out a laugh of satisfaction, summoning the image of ice that realized itself and encased the Reaper in a block of the stuff. Even against normal Noise, it was only a temporary hold, so she had no doubt Lollipop could break himself free at any moment.

_But a temporary hold is more than enough for now!_

“Let the bastard have it!” she shouted, pouring everything she had into maintaining her Psyche. Hotaru and Nifuji acted at the same time, raining down electricity and fire and shockwaves all at once. Chou’s ice started to tremble, and before it shattered away, she formed a fresh fist and charged, determined to get at least one punch in on the asshole’s smug face—

Her vision saw double a moment before the street reset itself, pedestrians milling about, and Chou tumbled straight through one as she overbalanced and tripped over her own momentum. Behind her came the sound of a slow, lazy clap, and she fully recognized that they were back in the normal UG whenever Suzu offered a hand to help her up.

“Not bad, not bad,” Lollipop’s drawling voice said, and Chou turned to glare. The Reaper hardly looked dented, though she was sure they’d managed to at least do _something_ with that last set of attacks. “I’m tuckered out already. I’d say you’ve done more than enough to get yourself your reward.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Pinkie said, her voice rising in pitch and incredulousness by the second. Her gun was still in hand, and she looked seconds away from blasting her fellow Reaper. “We barely went ahead and did anything. I didn’t even get to Erase one of these brats!”

“Easy, girl. Save some of that energy for the next batch. You heard the orders this morning.” Pinkie muttered several disparaging things about said ‘orders,’ but she didn’t protest any further. Lollipop dipped his hand into his pocket. Chou was expecting some more candy, but instead he flicked something into the air towards the Players. “Catch, now.”

Chou’s hand instinctively snapped into the air, and the round and smooth shape of a pin fitted into her palm. Hasekitsu and Kano had seemed to also grab one, and each pair of Partners clustered together to look at the design, a black skeleton on white.

“Keypins?” Hasekitsu asked, a note of interest in his voice. “You normally don’t see these in Player hands.”

Pinkie scoffed. “GM’s orders. Better not loose those.” She smirked, shaking the gun in her hand as a taunting reminder. “Though if you misplace them, I won’t have any problems picking you off.”

Hasekitsu swiped his bangs aside before tapping at his temple. “I’d gladly take you up on that challenge.” Nifuji had typed something, flashing his phone at his Partner, and Hasekitsu’s dark eyes quickly skimmed over the screen. “An excellent point. Our Mission doesn’t look like it’s over. Don’t tell me you two are going to leave us hanging. Any chance you’d happen to know where our next ‘pair of enemies’ are?”

“Sorry, man. Not in the job description,” Lollipop said.

“That makes sense,” Kano said, and the collected Players eyes turned to him. “Based on what I’ve read so far, the Missions are like a fantasy roleplaying setup this time. If you were the GM, you wouldn’t want to make things too easy by telling your players where to go. Maybe there’s something else we need to do before moving on.”

Suzu cocked her head. “What? We supposed to roll a die and hope that we’re lucky enough to get what we want?”

“No, I d-don’t think that’s right,” Hotaru said, her ears burning a bright red as the rest of the group turned their heads to her. Chou gave Hotaru an encouraging pat on the back, and she continued, “This morning’s Mission mail mentioned that ‘rumors’ were the thing that guided us this way. And if we use our Player pins, we can hear people’s thoughts, so maybe…”

Her voice trailed off unconfidently, but Hasekitsu nodded. “When in doubt, Scanning can’t hurt. Just watch out; _I_ wouldn’t mind another bout with the Noise, but the rest of you look like you need a break.”

Chou tuned him out, tucking away her achieved keypin for safety and digging out the pin with its white skull insignia. It only took a bit of focus, and soon there was the rush of thoughts she’d encountered several times when looking for Noise to fight. The voices overlapped, even louder than the Scramble Crossing at peak traffic, but if she concentrated, she could find the specific words, like trying to identify the bass riff or a drum part underneath the main chords and lyrics of a song.

_—I don’t think I’ve seen the Moai statue look so upset—_

_—Oof, no more binging at Sunshine—_

_—Hey, isn’t there that sale at Towa Records today?—_

_—That new Pegaso line—_

_—the record store was packed today—_

_—Prince is totally f—_

_—Towa Records—_

_—Towa—_

It might have been a coincidence, but Chou was willing to bet that they’d found their answer.

* * *

Seeing the tall yellow shape of Towa Records with its red banners and band posters filled Chou with a sense of longing, and Suzu’s expression suggested pretty much the same thing. Though the twins’ parents provided them with a generous allowance, that didn’t mean they had unlimited funds to get whatever they wanted. Considering that Chou’s hobbies included picking apart an album as much as she could to see what she could learn from it for her own endeavors, it hadn’t bothered her much that she couldn’t buy an infinite amount of CDs. Even so, she did have fond memories of the days she _did_ go shopping, perusing the stacks and finding some hidden gem in the process. Towa had been one of the places she enjoyed browsing the most.

Seeing it again from the UG just twisted up her stomach in remorse.

Suzu, who hadn’t been able to go in over a year, must have felt even worse.

“Um, Nee-chan,” Hotaru said, “it looks like there’s a sigil on the shop. If you want to go in, we can.”

Chou shook her head. “Nah, it’s okay. You know I’ll get lost in there, and the Mission’s way more important.” Six hours seemed like a lot less time to complete a mission when the requirements had you running all the way across the damn city just to get to the next part. “Besides, what would even be the point of carrying around a bunch of CDs in the middle of the Game?”

“Hm, I think you’d be surprised,” Hasekitsu said, smiling a bit, “but I’m all in favor of going for the next round. Besides, our opponent seems like they’re just waiting for an ambush, and I’m much more of a fan of getting the upper hand instead.”

“Oh, lookie here. Someone’s got a pretty impressive perception skill.” The voice came from above, and Chou looked to see a Reaper with a short sleeved black hoodie and a yellow bandana tied over her head, though a bright blue lock of hair stuck out from underneath. Some sort of pendant hung from her neck, occasionally catching the light of the sun. “Guess I gotta work on my stealth game. I missed the chance to divebomb you suckers.”

Chou and Suzu scowled in unison. “Sucks to be you,” Chou said.

The Reaper shrugged, flipping through the air before landing on the pavement before them. “Whatever. This is a forced encounter, so you’re not gettin’ out of this one. And _technically_ I’m supposed to ask if you’re ready to get started, but I don’t feel like it. So let’s go!”

 _Just one of them?_ Chou only had a moment to think before the crowds melted away, though there was still a faint sound of music from the speakers outside of Towa Records. _Well, whatever. The goal’s still the same, so…_ “Bring it!”

The Reaper before them smirked. “I’ll be kind enough to give you the first move, then. Don’t waste it.”

Chou clicked her tongue, charging up a psyche, but someone else’s attack connected first, several rapid moving shapes swinging across the field like a boomerang. Kano was at the source, and a cool yet satisfied smile stretched across his face. “Don’t mind if I do.” His presence indicated that Hotaru was on the other side of the split, and Chou reassured herself that Suzu would take care of her, if nothing else.

Though the Reaper had taken several direct blows, she didn’t seem perturbed in the slightest. “Not bad for some opening moves. Wanna take a guess at the boss fight gimmick?” The next blur of movement was from one of Nifuji’s shockwaves, but the Reaper stepped out of the way and pointed her hand behind her where the Player stood.

“ _Copycat_.”

A replica of Kano’s psyche zipped through the air, knocking into Nifuji’s gut in a magenta-tinted blur. He flung back through the air from the force, only to end up taking a second strike to the back as the boomerang came back around. Chou snarled and let her own psyche unleash, charging forward to punch at the Reaper. She didn’t dodge that blow, gladly taking a few hits before replicating the attack, leaving Chou grunting from the impact but not backing down. When they both finished, Chou took a moment to spit, something that tasted like blood but looked like static flying out.

“Oooh, you a brawler?” the Reaper said, her voice hitting a taunting lilt. “Takes someone pretty tough to go that route.”

“I didn’t ask for your approval,” Chou said, and then unleashed a rain of projectiles while she still could.

The Reaper took a few of the hits before gliding up into the air, shooting off Chou’s attack towards Kano from above. He was a bit more fit than his business casual attire suggested, dodging around the projectiles. “Don’t attack indiscriminately!” he shouted across the battlefield. “If she’s copying our attacks, we’ll just be giving her more moves.”

Chou knew he had a point, but _not_ attacking wasn’t quite an option. “And what? Just let her beat the shit out of us until the clock runs out or something? I’m pretty sure that’s not going to do us any favors for winning this mission!” Even in the midst of battle, the Timer was still ticking down on her palm. They didn’t have the _time_ to make a damn strategy. Ignoring Kano’s frustrated shout after her, Chou charged up another round of projectiles, squinting up towards the sky to get a better view.

The blur of black over the sun surprised her, as did the forming shape of Nifuji as he materialized above the Reaper’s head. His foot made direct contact with her back, upsetting her assault on Kano, and she let out an undignified squawk, twisting herself around as they both hurtled straight back towards the ground. “Oh, you little—”

The Copycat didn’t even get to finish her insult on account of having a mouth full of pavement. Nifuji pressed his advantage to deliver a second kick to the Reaper’s back—then he flickered out of the way before she could right herself in retaliation. Copycat started to haul herself up, only to need to dodge out of the way a moment later as Kano’s boomerang sliced through the air. The psyche still nicked the Reaper’s shoulder, but didn’t immediately charge back, her narrowed eyes skimming over the battlefield to asses her potential moves.

Chou kept moving, just so she wouldn’t make an easy target, and raised her voice. “What was that about not attacking indiscriminately?”

“Well you’re right in that we won’t get anywhere if we don’t go on the offensive,” Kano called back, launching off another set of boomerangs in quick succession. “So I’ll compromise and see how far I can get by not giving her any more moves to work with.”

“Gettin’ cocky, huh?” Copycat asked, her voice turning to half-excitement, half-snarl. “Survive the Game once and you think that you’re hot shit? Well, I don’t mind.” She spread her wings, lifting off the ground but not as high as she had before. “Considering that I have to work with whatever my opponent gives me, I’m pretty resourceful my— _self_!”

Copycat targeted Kano in a fresh deluge of punches, but Nifuji arrived in a black flicker to intercept. Chou, not wanting to stand around and do nothing, provided some extra coverage with her projectiles where she could, hoping that every bit of damage would add up to something. It helped knowing that it wasn’t just her in the fight, or even the three of them, but a total of six when you brought all the Players together.

_With Nee-chan and Suzu there, we’ll be fine._

Nifuji was doing a rather decent job at exchanging blows with Copycat considering that he wasn’t using any Psyches aside from his rapid movement on occasion. Chou waited for an opening before slipping in to do her own damage with her punches, giving Nifuji room to breathe for a moment. They worked in tandem as best they could, though the Reaper got more than a few hits in. Chou wondered what the hell Kano was doing— _at least he could fucking provide some cover fire!_ —but then she caught sight of him, forming a new psyche that she didn’t recognize.

 _I don’t know what he’s up to, but I gotta trust that it’ll work out. Just gotta keep Copycat chick here from noticing anything._ Chou tsked and redoubled her efforts, tossing in a few scrappy blows not powered by her psyches just to keep up the pace. Whether or not he’d noticed what was going on, Nifuji was relentless as well, not even flinching as Chou let off a few close-range projectiles or Copycat sniped back at them both, looking haggard but still—

_Grinning._

Chou faltered a bit at seeing the expression on the Reaper’s face, and that was enough for Copycat to snatch Chou by the arm and toss her aside. She barreled straight into Nifuji, who let out an odd wheezing sound that wasn’t quite a grunt. “Not bad for a couple of amateurs,” the Reaper said, “but you can’t outclass a boss with just tenacity, ya get me?”

“Then how about strategy?”

The sound of Kano’s question was more than enough to catch Chou’s attention, and she jumped back as soon as she felt the tingle of static electricity run up her back. She didn’t get very far, but Nifuji swept her up again and against the wall of the closest building, giving her a perfect view of how the battlefield had shifted in the time she’d been focused on not getting her head bashed in the by the Reaper.

Several orbs of water hung in the air, casting rippling shadows across the streets. Kano had placed them at various points, including a few floating higher, blocking off the easiest route of escape via flight. Sunlight caught against one surface, and Chou squinted from the light—but it wasn’t the sun, and crackling, crawling lines of electricity sparking from the conductive globes.

Kano smirked and brought his hand down.

The orbs of water all converged, racing towards the Copycat Reaper in the center. She narrowed her eyes and attempted to move so she could take only some of the hits, but Kano seemed to have perfect control of his psyche arsenal and they chased her down without relenting. The first orb burst open in a miniature tidal wave of water, the lines of thunder following with it, and that was enough for the lines of electricity to connect to each other. The Reaper grunted in pain, but Kano didn’t let up, launching off another set of boomerangs while maintaining his current assault. Realizing that he likely meant for the attack to be the final blow, Chou went ahead and launched off as many attacks as she could while maintaining a distance, and Nifuji added a few extra blows before the last of the water orbs exploded, sending up a froth with them.

Chou held up an arm on instinct to shield herself, but it wasn’t necessary. The psyche never reached her, but the sound of the crowd rushed in like its own tidal wave with a roar. Like the ones back at the station, the Copycat Reaper looked no worse for wear back in the regular UG, though she wore a similar frustrated expression to Pinkie. “Hmph. Not bad for a group of rookies. Though the couple of vets you had around carried most of the weight.” Chou bristled with indignation, but she couldn’t even get a retort out as Copycat sighed. “Ah, well. You still passed what the DM said, so that’s good enough. Take your loot and get a move on—”

Since it had happened once already, Chou wasn’t surprised when the Reaper flicked them some pins. The design was almost identical to the last one, save for the inverted colors. _Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with the last pin we got._ Based on what Hasekitsu called them, they had to unlock something, and the mission mail suggested it would be for tomorrow. _So we survive today, and then…_

“Hmmm, you lot sure you’ve got time to dawdle around here?” the Reaper asked, fists propped on her hips. “Then again, if you wanna waste your chance to win, that’s your business. Sure makes the Game boring for the rest of us, though.”

Kano raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. “Any chance that this Boss raid happens to have a rematch?”

Copycat smirked back at him. “Wouldn’t you like to know?” And before any of them could get a word in edgewise, she vanished from view, probably back and waiting to ambush any other potential Players that were still around. Even when Chou glanced around the buildings, she couldn’t see any sign of the Reaper out and about.

Hasekitsu chuckled. “Can’t have a boring Game, now can we?” He stuffed the reward pin back into his pocket. “Though I do have a suggestion,” he said, turning to face the rest of the Players. “I propose a quick detour. I can get the rest of you something that should make your time worthwhile. Any takers?”

Suzu propped a hand on her hip. “Is this detour going to cost us the mission?”

“Nothing like that. There’s a shop nearby that could help you all out.” Hasekitsu jerked a finger up the street, in the direction of the Miyashita Underpass. “We’re close by, so as long as there aren’t any Walls in the way, we should be able to grab a bite to eat and get a nice battle boost for you.”

Chou and Suzu exchanged a look, a line of silent communication running between them. According to the timers on their palms, they weren’t quite at the halfway mark yet, but three hours could pass far quicker than they thought. Chou glanced at Hotaru, trying to figure out her opinion, but Hotaru seemed to be looking to Chou for answers while also worrying about what Kano would think. Taking the opportunity to speak for all three of them, Chou asked, “When you say battle bonus…?”

“Are you talking about Fusion Pins?” Kano asked, looking somewhat intrigued. Hasekitsu nodded, providing an answer that still left Chou in the dark. Kano noticed their gazes and gave a smile. “Unlike our regular pins, which let us individually use Psyches, Fusion Pins require a strong Pact to activate. You could say they’re somewhat like finishers.”

“Yup, Kano-kun’s got it.” Hasekitsu fished a pin out from his pocket, though it looked like nothing more than a pure white surface. He chuckled at the face Chou had pulled. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but this thing can pack a punch when you work with your Partner. I only have the one, but I know where we can get some more.”

 _We’ve already been up against some tough opponents,_ Chou thought, the recent scuffles with the Reapers in mind. _And this is only the third day. Are things going to get worse from here?_ She sighed. “So long as you’re so sure that it won’t take too long.” If it meant that she’d have another piece in her arsenal to get Hotaru to the end of the Game, Chou would take it.

Not knowing her twin’s thoughts, Hotaru nodded. “It’s probably good to have options, right?”

“Well, if Chou-chan thinks it’s a go, then I’ll stick with her,” Suzu said with a nod. Chou didn’t know if she was deserving of having Hotaru and Suzu follow her along, but she wasn’t about to betray their expectation if they wanted to rely on her. “And Nifuji-san’s going to come along since he’s Hasekitsu-san’s Partner—” Nifuji nodded his approval with an added thumbs-up “—so I guess that makes it a majority vote.”

Hasekitsu clapped his hands together and gave a toothy grin. “In that case, I’ll take the lead.”

* * *

Chou didn’t know what she’d expected based on Hasekitsu’s directions, but it hadn’t been ending up on Cat Street. While they passed by a Jupiter of the Monkey shop with a decal, Hasekitsu didn’t even bother to glance in its direction, instead taking them down to a storefront with a canopy hanging overhead and a few outside tables. The text above the entrance was in stylized English, and Chou squinted up at the letters before they formed into proper words: _WildKat._

_It’s…empty._

Sure enough, there was a Reaper sigil on the side of the shopfront, but it didn’t seem like anyone else was around, save for their six-person party. Considering that it was a bit out of the way of the mission parameters, it wasn’t all that surprising to see no other Players in sight, but even the rest of the UG accessible shops had at least brought in _some_ other traffic. Hell, Chou didn’t even see anyone manning the counter it was so dead.

“Oi, Hasekitsu—”

“Ah, look at that! Some actual customers. Not something you see around all too much these days.” The voice emerged from inside the storefront, and soon there was an actual body attached to it in the form of a middle-aged guy with stubble, sunglasses, and hair done up with some gel. The button up, vest, and dark pants were technically an ensemble appropriate to a café, but the guy hadn’t put anywhere near as much consideration into his appearance as Kano did. “Ah, should’ve expected you, ‘Kitsu. How nice of you to bring in some business.”

Hasekitsu gave a broad smile to the man. “Not a problem, Mr. H. Besides, it’s the least I can do for your help. Any chance you can set these guys up with some Fusion Pins?”

Chou perked up at that, wondering what the hell made “Mr. H.” so special that he had access to some supposedly special pins that would help them out with the Game. _Then again, it’s not like I have a lot of space to be picky about getting an advantage, but still…_

No one would blame her if she wasn’t so willing to just go and up and trust strangers at face value.

Mr. H. threw his head back in a bout of overly boisterous laughter. “Sure thing, Boss. We’ll get the lot of you set up. I’m assuming you still have your own?” Hasekitsu nodded. “Aight, Fusion Pins for two. Any chance I can convince you to pick up some lunch while you’re at it?”

“As a matter of fact…”

As Hasekitsu listed off his order, Chou could feel her own stomach starting to growl. She didn’t know whose bright idea it was to go ahead and let the dead still feel hunger, but if she could have, she would have no trouble giving them a rather colorfully worded complaint. She sighed. “Fuck it. Let’s get something to eat. I don’t feel like running halfway across Shibuya on an empty stomach.”

Hotaru nodded, her eyes half-skimming over the menu. “I noticed that eating helps us out in battle, too, so it’s probably a good idea to get something now…” Her face shifted into confusion the more characters she read. “This place has pins and…manuals, too?”

Sure enough, there were some stacks of miniature booklets, their spines in various colors stacked up along the counter. The titles seemed to read various things related to the Game, along with a few about pins and a set called the _Black Cat Atlas._

“You see something you’re interested in, little missy?” the barista asked, and Chou bristled at the referral. Mr. H chuckled. “Easy there. You can think of me as someone who’s out to help Players like yourselves. Everything’s on special. Feel free to get a cup of the house blend for 680 yen.”

“That’s the menu list price,” Suzu said under her breath.

_Oh, yeah, this guy’s definitely a weirdo._

He did know how to make a pretty decent cup of coffee, though, if nothing else. Even the pumpkin soup was pretty good, if not a bit outside of Chou’s usual palate. She, Hotaru, and Suzu had all assembled at a table together, leaving the rest of their posse to another, though they were still close enough to hear each other talk.

“Um, so what’s the plan after this?” Hotaru asked as she worked her way through her own bowl of soup. “The mission mail said that there were going to be three enemies we needed to face. That leaves one left for us to finish today…”

Nifuji waved one hand to signal that he had something to say. After a moment of typing, he flashed his screen, the characters enlarged so that even Suzu could read them from the far end of the table. _[I did a quick scan of Towa Records before we left the area. If it’s the same setup as before, then we’re going to need to head to Udagawa.]_

Chou grimaced around her sip of coffee. Not only was Udagawa a pretty far walk from where they were, it wasn’t the best area, either. Just another one of those things that didn’t carry near as much weight when you were dead as when you were alive.

“Udagawa it is, then,” Kano said. Chou didn’t argue, since they didn’t have much choice in the matter—it was either play along or get Erased, and the second one wasn’t an option. Kano glanced at the Timer on his palm. “If we get moving soon, we should have more than enough time to spare. Let’s finish up here, and then head out.”

Hasekitsu nodded. “I like the way you think.”

* * *

It wasn’t even the walking that was the annoying part about making it to Udagawa; it was the goddamn Reapers. Sure, none of them were all-out bouts like the battles with Pinkie, Lollipop, and Copycat had been, but all the little tasks handed out were starting to grate on her nerves—especially whenever it came to switching out their outfits. Chou had found herself decked out in a Sheep Heavenly ensemble that made her want to punch the Wall Reaper that had assigned it and die (again) all at once.

“I’m changing,” Chou said as soon as the Wall was down and they’d crossed over from Tipsy Tose Hall and into the area around Shibu-Q Heads. No one even tried to stop her as she marched towards the department store. Sure, she could have just swapped back to her regular clothes in the middle of the street, seeing as the pedestrians couldn’t see her, but there were still Hasekitsu, Nifuji, and Kano to account for. “You guys can go on ahead. Suzu and I will catch up.”

“Are you sure, Nee-chan?” Hotaru asked. “I’m sure that if you just want us to wait a few moments, it’d be okay…”

As tempting as it was to take Hotaru up on the offer, Chou knew that they’d burned through a decent amount of time already thanks to all the errands in-between. “Seriously, don’t worry about it. It’s not like we’re gonna be that far away, and you guys can get started on the big bad of today all you want. Suzu and I’ll be sure to sweep in and save you.”

“Heh. More like you’re going to sweep in after we weaken the enemy down for you,” Hasekitsu said with what Chou was starting to recognize as a teasing smile. Chou stuck out her tongue, and he waved for Nifuji to follow along. “Well, as much as I like excitement, I’d rather not cut today down _too_ far to the wire. We’ve got plenty of days to spend on that. See you when you catch up, Tsukiko-kun, Tendo-kun.”

Hotaru gave a concerned look back, but Chou waved her off before heading inside and finding the closest bathroom she could. Suzu waited outside until Chou emerged back in her original ensemble, though Suzu was trying not to laugh. “You sure you don’t want to keep up the look, Chou-chan? I think it suits you.”

Chou tossed the bundle of clothes at Suzu and scowled as she headed for the door. “Shut it. Let’s get going before the others get too far ahead.” Though it had been her idea, staying separated from Hotaru for too long was grating on her nerves, and not even the returning press of the sun could chase away the guilt mingling inside her chest.

“Right behind you, Chou-chan.”

“I didn’t expect anyone to spilt up when it was obvious that you’d have power in numbers, but you’re not the first batch of Players to surprise me.” Tensing up, Chou and Suzu turned towards the path to Udagawa, where the red cloaked figure of the Game Master was waiting for them. Chou’s Psyches didn’t pulse in her fingertips as easily as they had in fights before, meaning that he didn’t drag them into a fight, but she still felt far too vulnerable, even when the GM smiled. “Easy there. I’m the type of DM that likes to spend time to get to know my Players. Makes things all the more interesting, don’t you think?”

“And if we’re not interested?” Suzu asked, scowling. Her audacity reminded Chou not to back down, and she stood strong with her Partner at her side. “I don’t know about you, Chou-chan, but I don’t have a lot of patience for talking with people who are trying to get me killed.”

“Is that what you think I’m up to? Well, it’s not the worst thing I’ve been accused of. But, sorry, this conversation isn’t optional.” The GM raised a hand, and Chou took a step forward to protect Suzu—but there wasn’t an attack. Instead, there was a high-pitched noise, and the shimmer of a Wall sprung up behind the GM, blocking the way to Udagawa, along with another that cut off the path to Tipsy Tose Hall and even the department store behind them. “Let’s make sure we’re all acquainted, shall we? I’m Daikoku Masato. It’s a pleasure to have a chat with you, Tsukiko Hotaru, Tendo Suzume.”

Daikoku took several steps towards them, his cloak rippling behind him, and Chou narrowed her eyes as if that would do anything. He was the Game Master, presumably more powerful than any of the Reapers they’d fought that day. She and Suzu wouldn’t stand a chance. “Sorry to say but the feeling isn’t mutual.”

The Game Master chuckled, seeming more amused by the comment than anything. “I do like a Player with a bit of spunk. Tends to make things interesting. But that’s not what I’m here to chat about.” Daikoku came to a stop about a meter away from them, close enough that he didn’t need to shout to be heard, but also with enough distance to give a false sense of security. “As far as I’m concerned, a lot of things can make or break a game. Still, for me, I think that character motivation is one of the most important.”

“Character motivation?” Suzu asked, her voice sounding like a pale echo of the words she’d just repeated.

Daikoku nodded. “You know, the things that make us tick. Usually that’s the sort of thing that gets put into your backstory, but this Game takes care of some of that for us. After all, you’re playing to come back to life—that’s what we call incentive. But it doesn’t stop there.” He brushed some of his hair aside, and Chou felt an unwelcome drop in the pit of her stomach. “Your Entry Fees count, too. You lost the most important thing to you, and the only way to get it back is to win.”

Chou scowled. “Yeah, that’s part of your rules. You just planning on repeating the same old stuff over and over?” Sure, she hadn’t caught it the first time, but if they wanted people to know what was at stake in the Game, then they shouldn’t have sent annoying people like Atarashi to deliver the news.

“No. I plan on filling in the holes in your knowledge so you know just what you’re playing for.” Though Daikoku said it as casually as anything else, Chou could feel a sour taste seep into her tongue, and Suzu seemed paler than she’d ever been in the hospital. “You’re playing with an empty hand, Tsukiko. And I’m not a fan of imbalanced games like that. Now indulge me a bit and let me tell you, that when you died, the most important thing to you was your sister’s safety. So—

“The reason Tsukiko Hotaru is in this Game is because of you.”

* * *

**[Four Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The First Third Day Bonus Episode

“Routine & Reschedule”

* * *

Kitaniji Megumi stood in the Room of Reckoning, his hands folded behind his back. Though the rest of the Officers would have their meeting the following morning to cover the state of the Game, Shibuya’s Conductor preferred to evaluate at least the rough state of play once the Players had made it through their Mission—or, as some weeks would have it, until the last Players were Erased. Thus far, this week had been the former, and it seemed that the end of the third day’s report would be very much similar to the second’s.

Kitaniji didn’t know yet. His regular routine had been interrupted.

“You wished to speak with me, Sir?”

Given that the Composer tended to accept reports in the morning—at least, that had been the tradition established before Kitaniji had taken over as Conductor—there weren’t many other occasions where the two would have a one-on-one outside of the norm. The white and shining form of the Composer shifted, and Kitaniji thought he saw a nod on the impression of a man.

“Yes,” the Composer said, His voice as metered as usual. “I’ve been wondering, Megumi. What do you think about Shibuya?”

Kitaniji blinked once, working to keep the rest of his expression calm while his eyes remained hidden. Then again, before the Composer Himself, such external control was probably useless, but Kitaniji wasn’t one to give up his habits so easily. “As I’ve said before, I deeply admire Your Shibuya. That’s why it’s been an honor to serve as its Conductor.”

“I see.” Kitaniji might have been mistaken, but he thought something like a note of tiredness had worked its way into the Composer’s tone. “Well, no matter. I only thought I’d ask since the thought crossed my mind. As for the real business I intended to talk with you about today…” Kitaniji straightened his posture further, ready to follow through with whatever was needed of him. “There will be no need to report to me tomorrow morning. I’m going to be out.”

“Understood,” Kitaniji said, not once breaking his controlled expression. Very little situations called for the Composer to ever leave their position at the heart of the city, but it wasn’t _impossible._ If the Composer was planning on doing so, Kitaniji trusted His judgement. “If I may impose, but what is it that You plan to do while you’re out?”

There was a hum, and the Composer’s expression was as unreadable as always through the light. “Nothing too much. I was just hoping for the opportunity to find something interesting to do.”


	12. The First Fourth Day: “Apart & Melody”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The First Fourth Day:

“Apart & Melody”

* * *

For not the first time, Hotaru woke up to the sensation of cramps running through her body, and a groan slipped out of her lips before she could think to stop it. There wasn’t much she could do about it—every morning of the Reaper’s Game had been like that so far, and it likely wasn’t to stop. They’d have to make it through to the end of the week before anything close to normal made it back to their lives.

Hotaru chewed on the inside of her cheek at the thought. Normal, really, seemed so far away. First being kidnapped, then watching Chou— Those thoughts alone were enough to make Hotaru feel sick all over again, and so were the ones that came after it. The fact that the surface underneath her was more uneven than usual didn’t help, and Hotaru swayed into an upright position before she could start to want to vomit.

Catching her balance, she recognized that she’d been sprawled out on a set of stairs, and her back popped several times as she sucked in some breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Her hands found the pouch hanging from her neck, which had gone from coin purse to pin collector three days ago. Either way, it was something to hold onto, to ground back to… _some_ sense of reality.

_What did we even do to deserve this?_

There wasn’t an answer to that question, and Hotaru shook her head, refocusing to help distract her mind. When she looked around, she found that she’d been dropped on the staircase leading up to the AMX Record store—a place that she’d gone to once or twice with Chou. Though Chou had rejected the offer to go inside Towa Records the day before, she’d be more willing to go inside one if they weren’t on a time limit, and the numbers hadn’t yet appeared on her palm yet.

It would be good to do something together, to pretend like everything wasn’t on the verge of falling apart.

When she looked around, though, there didn’t seem to be any sign of Chou and Suzu, or even Nifuji and Hasekitsu. Like before, the Pacts had been dropped into Shibuya separately, and Hotaru frowned. Though she and Kano had been working well together, being without anyone familiar had been fraying Hotaru’s nerves, piece by tiny piece.

Still clutching onto her pouch, Hotaru forced her stiff legs into standing up. So far, they’d been fortunate enough that they could rendezvous with the other Pacts while completing the mission; she and Kano just needed to make it that far…

“Kano…san?”

As her phone vibrated in her pocket and the sting of the mission timer pierced into her palm, Hotaru realized that she just hadn’t woken up without the other Pacts nearby.

She was on her own.

* * *

_Quest Four: You and your comrades have been separated on your journey. Reunite with your Partner to proceed to the next stage. The keys you achieved for your efforts will open the way. You have four hours. Erasure awaits those who fail._

Chou read over the mission text, only half processing the words amongst the sounds of cars driving by. The shade of the underpass made goosebumps start to line her skin, but it wasn’t the cold that made her shudder. It wasn’t the idea of being separated from Suzu, either, and having to deal with the Reaper’s Game on her own.

_The reason Tsukiko Hotaru is this Game is because of you._

Chou grit her teeth before shouting a curse. If she’d been near anything, she would have punched it, no matter how little good it would have done. Sure, it didn’t make any _sense_ how the Reapers could just _take_ something like another person’s safety away, but obviously they had. They’d taken Nifuji’s voice, hadn’t they, and who knew what else they had taken from the others? Now that Chou had found out what hers was, she didn’t blame anyone else for not talking about it.

 _What does it fucking matter? You tried to protect Nee-chan, and you got her killed instead._ Parts of the pain still lingered in Chou’s memory from the moment it happened, along with the awful sense of suffocation. Had Hotaru died in the same way? Had it been just as painful? Had it been worse?

“Who’s bright fucking idea was it to make up this Entry Fee system anyways?!” she shouted, as if Daikoku or some other Reaper was just going to be hanging around to give her an answer. Hell, even if Daikoku _didn’t_ make the whole thing up, he was still perpetuating it for his own means. _Character motivation,_ as if they were nothing more than outlines of people marked out on sheets of paper. “Well whoever it was, _fuck_ you. Fuck all of you, dammit! I’m going to find you, kick your ass, and make sure Nee-chan gets back home, so your shitty Reaper’s Game can _suck_ it!”

Using both hands to flip the bird, Chou took a few ragged breaths before looking back to the Mission Mail on her phone. The goal was to get back to their Partners, which meant that she would need to find Suzu within the next four hours—and the pins that they’d gotten yesterday would help move forward somehow. Hasekitsu had called them Keypins, so they presumably would open something or another. Checking her pockets, Chou found the two pins without any troubles, and she clipped them to her to the hem of her shirt for safekeeping.

_Alright, assholes. Let’s fucking do this._

Heading towards Miyashita Park wouldn’t do any good, so Chou marched off in the direction of Towa Records, tennis shoes stomping against the pavement with as much force as she could muster, half hoping that Daikoku or some other Reaper would show up again just so she could punch them in the face. But there wasn’t anyone in sight—not even any of the other Players. She knew that running into Suzu wouldn’t be easy, but there was only so much of Shibuya they could be spread out over.

While annoying, Chou didn’t let it deter her from moving forward. What did stop her, however, was the sight of a Wall blocking the path towards Molco. If they wanted to give her another roadblock, she’d crush it and move on to the next thing, and maybe vent some of her frustration on the sucker that was in charge of manning the Wall mission. The problem with that?

There wasn’t a Reaper in sight.

Chou scowled, adding several more curses to the Shibuya city air before trying to think of an appropriate solution. It wasn’t like it was impossible to take a different route back towards literally anywhere else in the city, but Chou had noticed (because Suzu had mentioned it) that the Reaper’s Game tended to cut things back and give more defined routes and pathways without much leeway for whatever stupid reason. Given the current trend, probably to make the Player’s lives more difficult.

_While they like making things a pain in the ass for us, though, there should still be a way through somewhere. Just gotta think of it._

Not wanting to stay still for any longer than necessary, Chou paced along the perimeter of the wall, as if a secret passageway through would appear if she just looked hard enough, but there wasn’t much luck there. Frustration continued to boil over in her chest, and, if she weren’t worried about what trying to get into a fight with some Noise would do when separated from Suzu, she might have done just that. Eventually, she ripped her phone out of her pocket, determined to stare down the Mission mail for whatever stupid riddle the Daikoku had hidden inside, but her fingers hit the wrong buttons in her haste, and she pulled open the message from the day before instead.

_The next stage of your journey will require entryway into locked places. Three sets of enemies guard the keys that you’ll need._

“Wow, _fuck_ you,” she said, her free hand reaching around for the keypins on her top. The mail couldn’t be referring to anything else. Unsure of what else to do, Chou unclipped them and held them out to the Wall, like presenting a badge. Nothing happened, and she clicked her tongue. “I don’t have all damn day; come _on!_ ” She wished that their combat Psyches worked whenever they _weren’t_ up against the Noise. It would be so satisfying to have that energy pulse around her hands and smash the thing to pieces—

There wasn’t some miracle that let her blast the thing to pieces with her projectiles, but there _was_ a thrum of a Psyche through her hands, and the Wall collapsed without so much as a protest. _Keypins._ _Of course._ Once she’d thought it over, it made perfect sense, and someone like Hasekitsu had probably noticed what was going on the moment they’d picked up their rewards during the previous mission, but it didn’t change the fact that Chou had figured out what she needed to do to progress.

Feeling the first slivers of satisfaction since she’d woken up, Chou punched one fist into the waiting opposite palm. “Alright. Let’s fucking do this.”

* * *

Hotaru spent far longer than necessary having a panic attack on the steps of the record store. To be more specific, she’d tucked herself in an out of the way corner, trying to avoid the awkward sensation of seeing people walk straight through her. Then again, considering that she’d spent half of her breakdown crying into her knees while hugging her legs close to her chest, maybe that hadn’t been necessary. It felt stranger, to be so alone in the middle of some place as busy as Shibuya with people out and about, but there wasn’t anyone she could really rely on close by, and that was enough to remind her of the isolation she’d gone through before she—after Chou— _then_ , trapped alone in the dark with no one to help, not even her sister’s body left behind, and the way _desperation_ had given way to _pain_ as she bit down, flooding her mouth with the taste of iron and copper—

Hotaru’s throat convulsed in a dry heave, and she spit up absolutely nothing onto concrete beside her. The press of bright sunlight on the back of her eyelids shocked her back into reality, and Hotaru stared at the numbers on her palm, ticking down, second by second closer to a failed mission. _Erasure awaits those who fail,_ the Mission mail always ended. Would Erasure be better than struggling, be better than living with the memories?

 _No, you can’t think like that. You’d make Nee-chan sad. And Kano-san still needs you as his Partner._ Her breaths were still shaky, but focusing on the present helped chase away the lingering thoughts of darkness. It would be okay once she found Kano-san. That was what the whole mission was about. Sitting around and crying wasn’t going to make anything better. _Come on. Get up and get moving._

Ignoring the way her legs felt ready to collapse, Hotaru pulled herself up using the nearby banister and set off at a walk, just to give herself something to concentrate on. Unlike before, the mission didn’t give any clear instructions on _where_ to go, just to meet up with their Partners. Wouldn’t the best thing to do be head to Scramble Crossing in the center so they increased their chances of running into each other?

It was _some_ thing to do, at the very least.

In an attempt to distract herself, Hotaru hyper-focused on the path forward, sucking in whatever details she could—the way a passerby chewed on their thumbnail, the colors of the posters slapped up on a wall, the few lines of graffiti peeking out from the corner of a close by alleyway. Her fingers itched for something to write with, as if the sensations of writing poetry would somehow take all her other worries away. As long as she _chose_ what she was thinking, the other parts wouldn’t creep up on her. In theory, at least.

She crossed over onto Center Street with no obstacles, and Hotaru vaguely wondered if things were coming together almost too easily. If she could make it to the Scramble without any troubles, then the mission would be as good as taken care of.

The presence of a Wall quickly proved her wrong. There was no Reaper, but Hasekitsu had mentioned the basics of how the keypin rewards worked at the end of the last mission, before they dropped unconscious. _The Psyche in these things is basically a key—we can unlock Walls with them. Dunno why they’re giving them out to Players, but I’m sure we’ll figure that out tomorrow._

Tomorrow was at hand, and Hasekitsu was probably right. Hotaru did her best with the Psyche, concentrating on energy in the same way she summoned fire along the concrete or sparks of electricity into the air. And while she felt a sensation not unlike a key fitting into a hole, it wouldn’t turn, as if it the grooves didn’t match up right. Frowning, Hotaru tried all three of the pins she had to show for the day before, but they all yielded similar results.

“Ah, too bad. So it wasn’t just me.”

The calm voice struck Hotaru like a knife threaded right between her ribs for a perfect blow to her heart, and she spun around, her senses tingling on high alert. A moment later, she let out a breath upon seeing that it was another teenager who had spoken behind her. His hair was an ashen blonde, and his purple eyes were alight with something closer to mischief than amusement. He’d dressed simply, in a gray button up with the top collar open, and dark, somewhat baggy jeans. When he smiled, Hotaru’s heart unwillingly skipped a beat, and the urge to drop everything and _write_ about that moment chased every other conceivable thought from her mind in a rush, as if a melody from a distant song had finally reached her ears.

“I don’t think that we’re going to get anywhere by flashing our pins at this Wall,” the boy said, a hand held to his chin in thought. “What do you say we put our heads together and think of something else?”

* * *

Chou held up both of her keypins to the barrier separating her from the Scramble Crossing, got shit for a reaction, punched the damn Wall for a good measure, and stomped her way past the Shibu Department Store and back to Cadoi City. Despite her success in getting out of the blockade around Towa Records, she hadn’t been able to do much in the way of progress since then. No matter what she tried, none of the other Walls she’d encountered would go down to her pins. All she’d succeeded in was somewhat expanding the size of her cage.

Considering trying to find some other roundabout route that the Reapers hadn’t blocked off yet (surely they couldn’t restrict _every_ possible option in the damn city), Chou wracked her brain for options, kicking at the ground again. It was hard not to feel desperate when there wasn’t anything active to focus on, and the fact that ordinary people were passing through the Wall with zero issues made the scenario all the more frustrating. Though it would be useless in terms of completing the mission, going back to the record store and getting lost in some albums for a while was seeming more and more appealing to soothe her well-past frayed patience.

The only thing that stopped her from doing just that was the familiar shape of Nifuji on the streets. His shape was somewhat _blurred_ by the presence of the Wall separating him, but it was the first sign of another Player that Chou had had all day. She didn’t even bother to consider controlling her pace as she rushed over to the Wall. “Nifuji-san!”

Nifuji raised a hand in a wave before starting to type on his phone. The slight warping effect of the Wall meant that Chou had to squint to see the text, but the larger font size helped a bit. _[Have you figured out how to use the Keypins yet?]_

Chou nodded. “Neither of them worked on this Wall, though.”

Nifuji typed fast enough that he could give the girls in Chou’s class a run for their money. _[That’s because they have different levels. Mine didn’t work, either, but I think if we combine ours, we’d probably be able to get through.]_

Well, it wasn’t like Chou had any better ideas. “If you say so, I’m willing to give it a shot.” That affirmation was enough for Nifuji to tuck away his phone and retrieve his keypins, revealing a set of three. Chou presented her two and gave the push for the Psyche with a little more mental force than was likely necessary.

Where the Wall had held fast before, it vanished just as easily as the one Chou had taken down before. She let out an enthusiastic shout, while Nifuji smiled and pumped his fists. _[I’m glad that worked. I wasn’t sure what would happen if it didn’t, since I couldn’t get through on the other side, either.]_

Yeah, Chou didn’t want to entertain that possibility, either. “Well if what you needed was more pins, then the two of us should be able to get through even more places now. There’s a Wall over by the department store that I was stuck on, so we should try there next.” Nifuji gave a thumbs up in approval, only halfway through the motion before Chou raced off back in the direction she came in.

She had to give some credit to Nifuji, though; he kept up with her without any sign of a complaint. Then again, without a voice and Chou rushing off on her own, it wasn’t like he had much opportunity to complain, either.

It mattered very little though when they approached the Wall blocking off the way to the Scramble. They both reached for their Keypins without exchanging any form of words, and Chou waited for the same sense of victory again so she could charge forward, find Suzu, and put a fucking end to this disaster of a day.

Surely because Daikoku was a dick, though, the Wall didn’t so much as budge.

Chou groaned. “You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.” Nifuji couldn’t be as vocal about his disappointment, but his frown spoke more than enough. “We have like five of these things. Are you seriously telling me that’s not enough?”

 _[Well, if I’m guessing right,]_ Nifuji typed out, _[the Scramble is probably the final destination for this Mission. Being able to get there too quickly would defeat the purpose.]_ Yup, Daikoku was a piece of work, likely patting himself on the back for coming up with such a dick move to screw them over from…wherever the Reapers hung out when they weren’t trying to murder Players or coming up with stupid shopping errands. _[We probably need at least someone else’s pins to take this Wall down.]_

It sucked that he was likely right, but complaining about it wasn’t going to get rid of the Wall, otherwise Chou would have cleared the stupid mission already. Even so, the idea of running around in circles sounded even less appealing. “Ugh. Okay, you said that you couldn’t get through on the other side, right? Maybe we’ll be able to get through there?” Considering that it was the most annoying potential option, it seemed likely.

_[I don’t have any problems with that. Better than standing around.]_

With that, they set off again, Nifuji taking the lead and working them back towards Molco. Chou tried to remind herself that they had plenty of time left, but the relative silence was giving her too much time in her head. She exhaled and moved so she was at Nifuji’s side. “So, you mentioned that these Keypin things have levels?”

If Nifuji felt surprised at the shift in conversation, he didn’t show it. Instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket with practiced ease and got to typing. When he was done, he passed Chou the phone, rather than stopping their progress so she could get a good look at the screen. _[Essentially. Kind of like how different pins can have the same powers but stronger, these Keypins go up in level and they can take down different Walls. Well, you saw a bit of how that worked already, since we’ve been using them.]_

Chou pursed her lips. The information made sense from a logical standpoint, if logic included the fact that accessories could be the conduit for supernatural abilities in the first place. “Yeah, I think I get the gist of it. Did Hasekitsu mention that to you?”

 _[Yes.]_ Reading the expression on Chou’s face perfectly, Nifuji continued, _[I know that he knows a lot more than the Reapers told us, but this isn’t his first Game. He’s been playing on and off for a while the past five months, so he’s picked up a few extra pieces of information here and there.]_

“For the past five _months_?” Chou’s voice shot up several pitches in disbelief. “This thing’s only supposed to last a week, isn’t it? What the hell’s he been doing?”

Nifuji’s shoulders shook a bit, and it took Chou a moment to realize that he was laughing. _[Sorry,]_ he typed after a moment. _[You’re right in that the Reaper’s Game is supposed to last a week. If you do well enough, you can come back to life. If you miss that mark, you have three options: Play again, let yourself be Erased, or join the Reapers.]_ Chou’s lips pressed into a thin line. She didn’t like that surviving a week wasn’t a guarantee that she could get back to life with Hotaru and Suzu, but she liked the idea of just _disappearing_ even less. _[You can guess what option my Partner chose.]_

“Well, yeah, but—” Chou made a hand gesture, trying to find a way to express the strange jumble of thoughts and feelings parading through her mind. “If he’s played so much, he’s gotta know a way to, like, actually win? What’s been taking him so long?” Sure, that level of experience was a good resource to have on their side, but the idea of being dead for so long and not being able to win your way back to life…

It was kind of sad.

Nifuji shrugged, not having any more clue about Hasekitsu’s thoughts than Chou did. _[Beats me. I’m not about to complain over having a Partner that knows what he’s doing, though.]_ Nifuji had a point. And besides, did Chou really have time to be worrying about Hasekitsu when her own life—along with Hotaru’s and Suzu’s—was on the line? _[Ah, the Wall’s just up ahead. Let’s see if we can get past it.]_

Chou had mostly been focusing on _not_ tripping while reading Nifuji’s messages, so she hadn’t noticed how much ground they’d covered. Molco was already behind them, and Spain Hill stretched out before them, clothes shop doors open, people carrying to-go bags from the nearby Mexican Dog, and the occasional line of graffiti snaking along the sides of buildings. Though she couldn’t _see_ it from their distance, Chou was more than willing to bet that the Wall Nifuji had run into was blocking the way to Tipsy Tose Hall.

Sure enough, once they’d made their way through the crowd, the same obstacle as before stood in the way. Neither of them had to bother with words to move for their pins at the same time. When they used the Psyche, Chou breathed out a sigh of relief as the Wall gave way, granting them a path forward.

That wasn’t all it did, though.

In the same instant that the Wall went down, there was the cry of Noise, and several neon blue and purple lizards landed on the concrete. Their bulbous eyes flicked around a few times, before they locked onto the Players before them, opened their mouths, and raced straight towards Chou.

* * *

Hotaru took several moments longer than necessary to remember that words were something that could come out of her mouth instead of just imprinted onto a piece of paper by a pencil, and even when she did, she wasn’t sure what to say. Before, the fear and panic had chased the concept of writing out of her mind, and now she didn’t want to do anything else. On any other day, she could have retreated to her room, gathered up her papers and gotten to work without much concern for the rest of the world around her.

But she wasn’t at home, where she could step away from the world. She was dead, in the Reaper’s Game, and she wouldn’t be able to have that security of a safe place to create until she won. So Hotaru clasped her hands behind her back so her fidgeting wouldn’t be obvious and tried not to stammer too much as she avoided looking the boy in the eyes.

“What do you mean it w-wasn’t just you?”

Considering that her usual count for stuttering when speaking to strangers for the first time was usually much higher, just once wasn’t bad, but Hotaru could still feel the heat starting to rush into her cheeks. Too nervous to look directly at him, she only caught half of the movement as the boy flicked some of his wavy hair out of the way.

“I meant that I couldn’t get through the Wall, either,” he said with all the casual confidence that Hotaru could never manage to muster. “I think we can pass through these, but only if we have the right keys.” He held out a palm, revealing a black on white pin that Hotaru also had. “I only have the one, so that limits me. But you look like you have more than that.”

“A-ah, yes.” The boy’s gaze gave off the impression that he was seeing right through her, like he could read Hotaru in a better way than possibly even Chou could. Fighting off the urge to run away, Hotaru looked back at the Wall. “You’re a Player, too, then?” Though she hadn’t seen anyone else besides their core group, it was nice to know that not everyone else was gone from the attack on two days before.

The boy hummed. “We haven’t been having much luck with Missions. I’m afraid we’re running behind the rest of you. But we’re not out of the running, so that has to count for something.”

“I’m just glad that someone else is still…” Saying _alive_ didn’t feel right, not when they were teetering on the brink of no longer existing at all. “I’m glad that someone else still has a chance,” she settled on, before her manners caught up with her. “Oh, I sh-should introduce myself. I’m Tsukiko Hotaru. It’s nice to meet you.” She dipped into a bow low enough that her pin pouch almost bounced against her thighs as it swung back and forth.

“Hotaru-chan, hm?” If her heart already hadn’t been on the verge of exploding already, the casual referral would have done it. Normally, Chou handled the job of chasing off anyone that talked to Hotaru like that, but her twin was presumably elsewhere in Shibuya, and Hotaru couldn’t bring herself to protest on her own. “It’s nice to meet you, then. I’m Kiryu Yoshiya, but feel free to call me Joshua.”

Hotaru bobbed her head once, not willing to try her shaky English pronunciation on her already tangled tongue. Chou was much better at those things than she was. “Y-you mentioned that we probably wouldn’t have any luck with this Wall. Why do y-you think that?”

If the boy—Kiryu—noticed her stutter (and he likely did, considering how blatant it was), he didn’t make any comment on it. “Because that would be boring.” Unable to think of a proper response, Hotaru tilted her head, and the boy chuckled. “You’ve seen the Game Master, haven’t you? Giving an easy way out doesn’t suit him.” Based on the man’s appearance back on the first day at 104, Hotaru had to say she agreed. “Being able to make it to the easiest place to meet up wouldn’t be entertaining at all. So we’ll probably have to go the long way around or at least get more Players before we can get anywhere at all.”

Feeling caught up in the flow of conversation, Hotaru couldn’t do much else but nod. “T-then we should head back towards AMX. I came this way because I thought it would be easiest, but…”

“Well it wasn’t a total loss if we got to meet, now was it?” As if circulating oxygen through her veins was a side thought, what felt like at least three-quarters of the blood in Hotaru’s body rushed to her face. Kiryu just giggled again. “But, yes, going the long way around seems to be the case. I’ll go ahead and take the lead then. Come along.”

It took Hotaru several heartbeats to realize that Kiryu had started walking without her, and she scrambled to catch up, her legs moving as if pulled along by strings. Though she was nervous being around someone new, the company was far better than being alone with her thoughts. Once at Kiryu’s side, Hotaru focused on keeping pace, not wanting to get separated in the crowd. Presumably, he wouldn’t be able to make it past the next Wall without her, but she didn’t want to risk the alternative.

“Goodness, it’s been some time since I’ve been stared at for so long,” Kiryu said, plucking the words out of thin air with a certain deftness Hotaru doubted she could ever match. “No need to worry, Hotaru-chan, I’m flattered.”

And there went the progress she’d made on slowing down her heartrate. “S-sorry! I got distracted!” Kiryu’s lips parted, likely to make another remark, but Hotaru pushed out her next words before he could. “I was just thinking about a poem I could write. I-I didn’t mean to stare.”

“Like I said, I’m not offended in the slightest.” Too bad the smirk on his lips didn’t do much to convince Hotaru he was going to let it go. “Though I’ve had my fair share of admirers, no one’s ever told me they were considering writing a poem about me before, either.” Hotaru produced a few sounds that _could_ have been words, though she wasn’t having much like in completing any of them. “Goodness, that can’t be a healthy shade of red,” Kiryu said, and Hotaru gave up on any sense of composure and buried her face in her hands, only peeking out between her fingers to make sure she wasn’t about to run into anything. “You should relax more, Hotaru-chan. So, I noticed that you had quite the collection of Keypins. Were you part of the Pact that completed yesterday’s mission?”

Hotaru got the impression Kiryu was only changing the subject out of a sense of pity, but she wasn’t about to pass it up just because of that. “Y-yes. Me and another Pact were the ones who finished it.” Really, Hasekitsu and Nifuji were able to carry most of the work, but Hotaru had tried at least. She would have felt better if Chou and Suzu had been there, but they hadn’t been able to catch up after splitting off. Hotaru just hoped that they were okay. “I’ve really only made it through because Hasekitsu-san’s been so helpful. He’s been able to guide us through a lot of the Missions so far. And Kano-san’s much better at fighting than I am, so I don’t know how much that counts…” A slight frown formed on Kiryu’s face, like he wasn’t particularly pleased to be stuck with someone who couldn’t carry their own weight. Deciding it was time to change the subject herself, Hotaru pointed forward. “Oh, it looks like you were right. Th-there’s another Wall over here, Kiryu-san.”

In a moment, Kiryu’s expression has slipped into an easy smirk. “There’s no need to be so formal. I did say you were free to call me Joshua.”

Hotaru shook her head. “I couldn’t—”

“You don’t have to be so embarrassed,” Kiryu said, his tone sounding far more amused than reassuring. Hotaru was about eighty percent sure he was trying to fluster her—and one-hundred percent sure it was working. Even worse, he didn’t seem about to back down anytime soon. “We’re going to be working together, aren’t we? What’s the point in treating each other like strangers when we’ll be counting on each other to get back to life?”

 _Things would be so much easier if I had the guts to try and go through the Wall without him,_ Hotaru thought. Of course, given her luck, if she tried, she might not be able to get through without another Player’s help, and that would just leave her trapped in an even more awkward situation. “W-we’re not going to have much luck getting back to life if we don’t focus on the Mission.”

The glint in Kiryu’s eye was a sure sign that he’d seen right through her ruse. “Hm, I suppose you have a point. Stop calling me by my family name, and I’ll consider it.”

Hotaru let out a groan of defeat. “Fine. Y-Yoshiya-san, then.” He’d only said to stop using his family name; she could slip through the loophole and avoid embarrassing herself on failing to pronounce his nickname. He didn’t complain at the exploit, his smirk just growing a bit wider. Feeling almost lightheaded, Hotaru turned back to the Wall, focusing on not dropping her Keypins. “Let’s try to get past here, okay?”

“As you wish, Hotaru-chan.”

Was it even possible to pass out while in the UG, where you were basically a ghost? Hotaru felt like she was dangerously close to finding out. _I hope someone else’s close by. I don’t know if I can take much more of this._

Once again, the key fit into the lock and turned, leaving the Psyche successful and the way forward clear.

Hotaru and Yoshiya stepped into Tipsy Tose Hall, only for the shape of a Reaper to be waiting for them.

* * *

“Shit!”

Chou was too busy cursing to do anything productive, but Nifuji was far better at keeping his cool. He snatched onto Chou’s arm and hightailed it in the opposite direction, dragging her along behind. Chou stumbled a few steps but managed to keep herself from faceplanting onto the concrete, her tennis shoes grabbing traction on the road. Once she’d caught her footing, Nifuji picked up the pace, and Chou put all her energy into keeping up, even as a stitch formed a painful line up her side.

Having a hard time breathing was still preferable to being Noise food.

Nifuji barreled straight forward with such intent that Chou felt certain he would have knocked people down if they posed an obstacle. She didn’t dare look back and risk losing her footing, but she still recognized the slap of massive amphibian toes against the pavement, even amongst the chatter of the crowd.

“What the hell?” Her voice was more wheeze than words, and there wasn’t much point in asking questions when Nifuji didn’t have the time to type up a response, but she still felt better releasing the outburst. “What kind of sadistic fuck sets enemies on people who can’t fight back?”

_Daikoku, that’s fucking who._

Nifuji squeezed Chou’s arm, as if to say “Less talking, more running.” Then, with his free hand, he pointed forward. They had already rushed past Mexican Dog, and the shape of Molco was drawing closer. Judging by the path they were taking, he intended to run them straight inside.

Chou wasn’t sure if that was the smartest plan—what if the Noise made it inside and then they were just trapped in a limited space with a couple of murderous oversized lizards?—but she didn’t have a better one, so she followed along. Even without his flash step Psyche, Nifuji was speedy, and his breakneck pace served them well.

In an amount of time that simultaneously felt like seconds and hours, Chou and Nifuji both almost ran straight into the doors before flinging them open. A group of high schoolers were exiting at the same time, and being on the threshold of the stupid modulator decal meant they couldn’t just slip through. Chou resisted cursing, but that was more because she was too out of breath to make a sound than any sense of restraint.

From the corner of her eye, there was a flash of bright blue—and one of the Noise lizard’s tongues just missed Chou and instead slipped through one of the RG kids instead. She almost didn’t catch the exhale of air from her side as Nifuji let out the closest thing he could to a gasp. The other Noise had been much more successful in reaching its target, and the end of the lizard’s tongue had buried itself in the back of Nifuji’s baggy hoodie.

Chou let go of the door, not even caring that it started to swing shut. They’d come so close to safety; like hell she was about to let Nifuji get wrecked by some stupid lizard. She snatched onto his arm, but the Noise had more than enough strength to pull them both back. Chou’s feet lifted off the ground, and her perception of balance left her as the world dragged by in a blur, but she managed to reach her other hand out to the zipper of Nifuji’s hoodie.

From his widened eyes, he seemed to realize what she was doing. Chou ripped the zipper open and helped Nifuji pull the hoodie off one arm. She was about to let go so he could do the same with the arm she was holding onto, but there the distinct sound of ripping fabric, and they both tumbled to the ground. Not caring about the stings of pain, Chou dragged herself to her feet so Nifuji could get up, too—and then they were both running out of pure instinct. Nifuji made it to the door first, and Chou stumbled in after him, and though they probably looked fucking stupid to whoever else was in the entrance, Chou couldn’t bring herself to care as she forced the door shut and held on tight.

The windows made it possible to see the Noise, flashes of purple and blue amongst the people. Even inside the building, Chou and Nifuji weren’t invisible, and one of the lizards stared right at them with its bulbous eyes for several moments. Eventually, it seemed to decide that they weren’t effort, and both of the Noise slipped out of view.

Chou exhaled, the sound of her racing heartbeat catching up to her senses. She should have let go of the door, but her legs felt like they would collapse the moment she did. She forced herself to step back, though, still using the closest wall for support. Nifuji was similarly doubled over, using his knees as a support while he caught his breath.

“Sorry,” Chou managed to say once she had enough oxygen to get her brain in working order. “I didn’t mean to wreck your hoodie, I just wasn’t sure what else to—” She paused as Nifuji straightened up, his arms crossed over his torso, where a light colored tank top wasn’t doing enough work to cover the distinctive curve of his chest. “You’re—”

Nifuji’s eyes narrowed into sharp green slits, and his phone came out in a flash. _[A guy.]_

“Well, yeah, of course you are.” Those words, combined with Chou holding up her hands seemed to do the trick to make Nifuji relax a bit, though he still had an arm held over his chest. “Your body doesn’t have anything to do with it. I get it.” Even so, the fact that she’d just wrecked Nifuji’s jacket—a line of defense—seemed even worse with the fresh knowledge. “There’s some clothing stores here. Lemme get you a new hoodie—”

 _[Don’t worry about it. Hasekitsu likes to fight. I have more than enough yen.]_ Nifuji paused, the sound of his fingers against the phone’s keyboard becoming less harsh as he typed. _[Besides, I’m the one that got caught, plus I cut the sleeve off. This is way more my fault than yours.]_

“If we’re getting technical, it’s that Daikoku asshole’s fault.” Nifuji raised an eyebrow, and it took Chou a second longer than she liked to remember it had just been her and Suzu alone with the GM the day before. “Remember the weirdo in the cloak that showed up at 104 the first day? He came and bothered me and Suzu yesterday. He’s the one in charge of the Game, so I’m sure he’s the one that came up with hiding murderous lizards in the Walls, like a prick.”

The corner of Nifuji’s lip twitched up into the faintest bit of a smile. _[Gotcha. Well, since DnD’s not here to front the bill, I’ll take care of it. If you want to go on, that’s fine, but it shouldn’t take me too long if you don’t mind waiting.]_

If they weren’t on a time limit, Chou would have shown Nifuji just how stubborn she could be. As things were, though, she let it go with a huff. “I’ll come with you, then. It’s a way better idea than getting split up now.”

With a quick nod of gratitude, Nifuji turned towards the staircase, and Chou fell into step behind him. It didn’t take much time of snooping around Mus Rattus to find something Nifuji deemed suitable, and them he was suited up again. If it weren’t for the bright yellow color of the jacket, Chou wouldn’t have even noticed a difference.

_[Alright, we’re good to go. We should see if we can make it through to Tipsy Tose Hall. Maybe Kano or your sister’s on the other side and can help us get through the Walls to the Scramble.]_

Chou nodded, the mention of Hotaru more than enough to steel her determination. Even if the lizards showed up again, they’d better look out if they thought they could stand in the way of the Tsukiko twins. “I’m with you, Nifuji-kun—

“Let’s go kick some ass.”

* * *

Hotaru sucked in a breath, a whimper threatening to spill out of her mouth. Yoshiya’s violet eyes flicked over to her, and he raised a thin finger to his lips as a reminder to stay quiet. The Reaper still had their back turned, and it looked like they had a phone pressed to their ear—distracted for the moment then, but not a guarantee that they wouldn’t notice two Players out in the open.

Upon a closer it looked, it seemed to be the Reaper with the copycat abilities from the previous day’s fight at Towa Records. Biting down on her lip hard enough that it pushed the taste of bile into her mouth all over again, Hotaru managed to stop herself from making a sound.

Yoshiya started to step backwards first, and Hotaru managed to follow him, her eyes not once leaving the Reaper until they had rounded a corner and were out of sight. Hotaru clutched to her pin pouch, but even the texture beneath her fingers couldn’t do much to ground her. The day before, it had taken _three_ whole Pacts to fight the Reaper—just two Players who weren’t even Partners wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Hm, looks like we’ve got an extra roadblock in our way, now doesn’t it?” Yoshiya asked, hardly sounding ruffled. Hotaru wasn’t sure whether to envy him or hate him for how calm he sounded. “I don’t know about you, but I’m not a fan of having a run-in with a Reaper like this.”

“What else are we supposed to do, though?” Hotaru’s voice came out as a hiss, though there wasn’t much need to be quiet when they’d gotten so much distance. She didn’t think she had the strength to let out any volume. “We might be able to sneak around her to get to Spain Hill, but what if we get caught on the Wall?” The only good thing was that Udagawa probably wasn’t part of the Mission route, since it didn’t really connect much to other areas. Unless something else was blocking their way to the Scramble in the direction Hotaru and Yoshiya had been planning to go, it would be easiest to ignore that possibility for the time being.

Too bad that figuring out where to go wasn’t even close to being their biggest problem.

Yoshiya hummed, only sounding the faintest bit concerned by the situation—and even that was a big allowance. “I’m not sure I saw a Wall that way, but I didn’t get much of a chance to look. Either way, even I don’t think that’s a risk worth taking.”

Catching herself chewing on the inside of her cheek for what felt like the twentieth time that day, Hotaru tried not to let the growing panic inside her spill over into her voice. “You don’t think we’re supposed to fight the Reaper, do you? Like yesterday?”

“If it happened yesterday, I don’t see the format being the same today.” Whatever criterion he was basing that on, Hotaru didn’t want to face the risk that he was wrong. “But, of course, all of this consideration assumes that we only take the routes laid out for us. If we think a bit outside the box, we have some options.”

“Such as…?”

“We don’t have to go through the opening that the Reapers leave for us.” Hotaru’s expression must have been reflecting her confusion, because Yoshiya crossed his arms and went on without any further prompting. “The Reapers use Walls to help restrict the flow of Players, and entry points like the ones we’ve been passing though are meant to keep everyone within the bounds of the Game. It’d be a problem if someone was playing in Shibuya and then wandered into a ward next door, now wouldn’t it?” Well, you wouldn’t be able to complete the Missions at any least if you were that far off target. “So, naturally, all the protections around Shibuya itself are pretty solid, but the ones that keep the major areas within the city are a bit less well maintained.” Flicking a lock of hair aside, Yoshiya smirked. “If we find one of those holes, then we have a way through without having to fight Miss Copycat over there.”

It sounded like a good plan—assuming they could find a hole to get through. “And what if we don’t find a convenient hole just laying around?”

“Well, I doubt we’ll find anything as lucky as a quick path to the Scramble or anything, but I’m willing to bet I can find us a way around our immediate problem. And if not, well—that’s a problem to worry about when it comes, don’t you think?”

Hotaru thought that it sounded like a stupid way to approach things. Too bad she didn’t have any ideas of what else to do. And even if she did, she doubted she could voice them. Yoshiya watched expectantly as Hotaru tried to come up with any other option, but the beat of her pulse and the declining numbers on her palm didn’t give her enough time. “It’s better than getting caught by the Reaper, I guess…”

“Excellent. Follow me, then.” Just like before, Yoshiya stepped off on his own, turning smoothly to follow the line of the AMX building. Not liking only having a vague concept of where she was going, Hotaru did her best to stick close. Her fingers twitched again for a pencil she didn’t have, and stepping away from the crowds as Yoshiya lead the way through alleyways and odd side streets made it easier to recognize the faint yet familiar melody stuck in her head, though she had no idea where she might have heard it.

_If I could turn this song into words, what would it look like?_

Hotaru didn’t consider herself particularly musical—that was more Chou and Suzu’s thing—but that didn’t stop her from half humming the notes in her head. If she couldn’t write right away, she could at least try to remember the sound, so maybe it could inspire her when she got back. If she was loud enough to hear, Yoshiya didn’t comment, his gaze focused on the path ahead as they wandered through little pockets and corners of Shibuya that Hotaru hadn’t even known existed. If by some chance they both made it back to life, maybe Yoshiya would be willing to show her other places in the city that she didn’t think she could find on her own.

Before she knew it, though, the unfamiliar roads had melded back into familiar ones, and Hotaru recognized the area close to Molco. She blinked a few times, trying to readjust back into the flow of the Game. Though the numbers on her palm indicated that they hadn’t been walking for anything more than fifteen minutes, the time had seemed to stretch on for much longer.

“What did I tell you?” Yoshiya asked, though his tone didn’t make it sound anything like a question. The following giggle didn’t do much to ease the impression. “If you know where to look, it’s easy to find the holes in the patterns. And look—no Harrier encounter for us.”

“R-right,” Hotaru said, taking the opportunity to figure out of there were any other Walls they’d conveniently bypassed. From where they’d entered the area, she could see most of the wide streets sprawled out around her: the entryway to Molco itself, the red phonebooth nestled into the center, the dark shadows of buildings that not even the high sun could eliminate. It didn’t look like there were any other Reapers out and about, and it didn’t seem as if they had any Walls obstructing their path, either. For the first time since the morning’s Mission had started, Hotaru didn’t feel as if there was any danger pressing down on her, and a faint pulse of relief radiated out from her chest. “Maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll be able to make it to the Scramble from here?” If nothing else, they could get to Cadoi City, and that gave them options—

Something tackled into Hotaru with enough force that it almost sent her to the ground.

“ _Nee-chan!_ ”

* * *

Chou knew she should probably let up on her hug or else she was going to end up smothering Hotaru, but that logical thought didn’t make it very far in terms of getting her body to obey. Chou had been worried about Suzu, yes, but it seemed like a game that put so much emphasis on making its Players have Pacts would let you know when something happened to that Partner. Hotaru’s safety was much more of an uncertainty.

_But she’s fine, she’s still here, she’s not gone._

It seemed almost unfair that their bodies could still be warm when they were technically dead, but Chou was glad for it anyways, as it made the world feel normal for a moment. They didn’t have time to waste, though, so Chou eased up, giving Hotaru some room to breathe again. At some point, Nifuji had caught up with Chou’s sprint and was hovering a respectful distance away like some pastel-colored shadow.

“Oh, more Players?” Not recognizing the voice, Chou looked towards its source, finding an ashen blonde boy with too much poise for her taste. “That’ll be helpful for moving forward.” His violet eyes assessed them in turn: a few moments on Nifuji and a bit longer on Chou, no doubt noting the obvious resemblance between her and Hotaru. “Your younger sister, I presume?”

“My twin,” Hotaru said, sounding rather at ease for talking to someone who was still a near stranger. “Nee-chan, Nifuji-san, this is Kiryu Yoshiya-san.”

Kiryu’s smile could have cut glass. “Feel free to call me Joshua.”

Nifuji and Chou introduced themselves as well, the latter with a bit more venom than necessary. Hotaru gave a quick pleading look, but Chou didn’t have the patience to waste much more time on pleasantries. Hotaru was okay, still in the Game— _You haven’t ruined things yet_ —but Suzu was still out there, on the other end of a Mission they needed to clear before long. “We should get moving. I don’t feel like sticking around whenever those Noise decide to come back.”

“Noise?” Hotaru asked, going pale. “C-can we even fight them without our Partners?”

[Theoretically, yes,] Nifuji said. [From what I understand of it, we still have a Pact, so we’re able to summon Psyches. But without our Partner on the other end of the Noise plane with us, it’ll be way harder to keep up with any enemies.] Considering that he probably was basing that information on something else Hasekitsu had said, Chou was prone to believe it.

“Then our best bet is to keep moving and make it to our Partners,” Kiryu said, toying with a bit of his bangs. “Hm, the closest route to the Scramble from here will be past the Department Store.”

“True, except there’s a Wall blocking the path,” Chou said, crossing her fingers in an X. “Nifuji and I were down there just a bit ago, and we couldn’t get past it.”

Hotaru shook her head so emphatically that it looked like her bun was about to spill out. “We can’t! There’s a Reaper over that way. The one that we fought at Towa Records yesterday.” If fighting some Noise without their Partners was dangerous, then Chou felt certain that going tow to tow with a Reaper would just send them all up in static.

“Besides, but you have us now, Chou-chan.” If it weren’t for the fact that having more allies was a plus in making it through the day, Chou might have just decked Kiryu in his pretty little face. “With four of us, I’m willing to bet we have more than enough Keypins to make it through whatever got in your way last time.”

[If it means staying the hell away from a slaughter, then I don’t see a problem with trying.] Nifuji’s fingers slowed a bit in his typing for once, but he did ultimately show the next line of text on his phone. [At this point, it’s either sit here and wait or get ourselves boxed in at the end. And I, frankly, would rather be doing something than be Erased because I gave up.]

Hotaru’s hand reached for Chou’s, and she gave a reassuring squeeze in response. Things weren’t looking the best, but it wasn’t a game over yet, either. “Well what the hell are we standing around here for? Let’s get moving and kick this shitty Mission’s ass!”

With Hotaru’s nod of approval, they set out. Chou wouldn’t admit it out loud, but moving in a pack of four felt infinitely more safe than when it had just been her and Nifuji. Too bad Kiryu’s presence seemed to upset a bit of that tranquility. Hotaru kept casting glances in his direction, and Chou even heard her softly humming a few times. Chou was also casting glances at him, but more to try and figure out what the hell his deal was. Kiryu noticed and returned her gaze with a smirk.

Chou tried to convey M _ess with my sister and I’ll end you myself_ as best she could with a glare.

Messaged received or not, Kiryu’s smugness didn’t waver in the slightest.

Without much headway on the war against smug pretty boys, their party made it to the Shibu Department Store. The same Wall that had blocked their path before hadn’t gone anywhere, and Chou’s fingers twitched in annoyance. With an ease that suggested they’d been taking down the obstacles all day, everyone’s hands went for their Pins. Like Nifuji, Hotaru had a set of three, while Kiryu only had one produced from his pockets. Feeling content that she at least hadn’t lost to him, Chou unhooked her two from her tank top and held them at the ready.

“Let’s do this,” she said, already thinking about the sensation of a key opening a lock. The others nodded, and Chou sucked in a breath. “Ready, and…”

All of their Psyches moved in unison, and the boost in power from a few other Players was enough to make a grin break Chou’s lips apart. But even though all the pieces fit, the puzzle refused to form a complete image, as if someone had repainted half the pieces. Hotaru’s whimper broke the silence. “No…”

Chou’s reaction, as it tended to be, was much more explosive. “What the hell?!”

Even Kiryu was frowning, though Chou couldn’t bring herself to feel satisfied about it. “Given how many of us there are… Feels like we need more, but on the… Not bad at all.”

For a split second, even Nifuji looked as shaken as he had whenever he’d lost his hoodie, but he quickly schooled his expression back into place. [We can’t just wait here. If we do, we won’t have a chance of breaking through on the other side. Tsukiko-san, Joshua, did you notice anywhere else we might be able to get to the Scramble?]

“Center street,” Hotaru said, her voice almost an inaudible whisper. “But the Reaper…!”

“Hm,” Kiryu said, not looking at any of them, “I believe the Reaper is going to be the least of our problems.”

“Oh, what the fuck _now_?” Chou asked, though her anger quickly melted away once she followed Kiryu’s gaze. The lizard Noise from before were back, and they’d increased in number. Fear wormed its way up the recently vacated spot in her chest, and Chou couldn’t even get a curse word out through her suddenly numb tongue. Just like Nifuji had guessed, they’d gotten locked into a corner, and, when the lounge of lizards passed the department store’s doors, any chance of waiting it out like before had vanished.

Hotaru gripped back onto Chou’s tank top with enough of a death grip that it was possible to feel her trembling. “What do we do? If we can’t fight—”

Chou shared the sentiment even without the end of the sentence, but she didn’t want to spend the last moments of her life scared out of her mind again. “Well, we can’t just let them take us without some sort of struggle!” Her voice cracked a bit, but she clenched her fists tight. _I’m not about to give you a free victory, whether I can do any real damage or not._ Nifuji tapped on her shoulder and pointed back towards the Wall. “ _What_?”

“Chou-chan!”

It seemed like a dream after the long day she’d just had, but Suzu’s voice resounded over everything, and then Chou caught sight of her Partner bursting out of the crowd at the Scramble. Hasekitsu’s tall form was with her, and they both sprinted at a breakneck speed towards the Wall. Kano didn’t seem to be with them, nor did whomever the hell Kiryu had suckered into being his Partner, but Chou didn’t have much capacity to care about that, considering Suzu and Hasekitsu also had a collection of the lizards on their heels.

“You know, if I were our Game Master,” Kiryu said, not sounding the least bit concerned by the noose that was slowly tightening around their necks, “I’d make it so the last Wall through needed Keypins from both sides to unlock properly.”

Hotaru gasped, looking wide-eyed at the wall. “That’s it!” She sucked in a breath and shouted at an uncharacteristic volume, “Suzu-san! Hasekitsu-san! We need you to get your pins ready!”

There wasn’t a verbal reply, but they’d gotten the message as, once Suzu and Hasekitsu were a bit away, there was the flash of metal of their Pins, and then soon the entire Wall had shattered. Daikoku hadn’t wanted to give them any sort of relief, though, as another lizard Noise came into being, at least three times the size of the others and a neon blue color. Chou let the Keypins tumble out of her hands before launching into battle.

It felt like there were hundreds of the damn Noise out and about, but as far as Chou was concerned, that was just all the more targets to take out her frustration on. She punched her way through the closest ones, feeling plenty of satisfaction for almost getting caught by the things outside of Molco. She tore through two in a matter of minutes, and the sight of several rocks crashing into the ground indicated that Hasekitsu was with her. With a few precise Psyches and the aid of their Partners, they’d taken out most of the smaller Noise, leaving just the big one.

Chou kept her distance, firing off as many projectiles as she could manage before the pin stopped responding. Hasekitsu’s purple icicles were rising, stabbing into the Noise’s substantial bulk without much issue. When she rushed up to bombard it with punches, the lizard swept its tail across the battlefield, knocking Chou into a nearby signboard. Hasekitsu attempted to jump over the attack, but his height was just a bit short, and he smacked down onto the concrete instead. Chou could have sworn she heard him laugh.

And then the giant lizard opened its mouth in a hiss, and soon there were several more of the smaller Noise to take the place of the ones they’d gotten rid of earlier.

“Look at that,” Hasekitsu said as he picked himself up from the ground. “It can call in reinforcements.” His grin didn’t fade in the slightest, and Chou found herself feeling relieved that he was on her side and not the enemy’s. “Ain’t gonna do us much good to wail on the little ones if the big sucker can just bring in more.”

“Duh. So we just gotta wail on the big boss until the rest of its minions scatter.” She punched her fist into her open palm, kicking the signboard out of the way and turning to face the rest of the gathered Noise. “So that means, _the rest of you can fuck off!_ ”

The massive speakers materialized, and the resulting amplification of her voice staggered the smaller Noise, giving Chou plenty of opportunity to sweep in and continue to take out her frustrations on the big one. Hasekitsu supplemented the assault by psychokinetically lifting nearby objects and bashing them into the Noise, and he even occasionally yanked Chou out of the way of what could have been a nasty hit.

From there, it became a battle of patterns: Wail as much as you can on the big lizard and knock away any of the smaller ones that got too close for comfort. Considering that the boss was pretty fast for being so damn big, Chou did end up in the middle of a swarm of smaller lizards once or twice. Even worse, more just kept coming, easily leaving them outnumbered at a concerning ratio. But Chou could feel Suzu, fighting on the other end of the Noise plane, and so she kept pushing on, too.

“Ah, that’ll about do it,” Hasekitsu said, even though it felt as if they’d only scraped through what at once seemed like a fraction and eternity of the fight. “Hey, Chou-kun. Wanna see something cool?” Chou didn’t even have her mouth open in a retort when he paused, pulled an unfamiliar pin from his pocket, and flicked it into the air like a coin.

In the middle of the day in Shibuya, the world went pitch dark.

Several bright colored patches flashed by—some bright purple, the others in pastel colors. Several large impacts reached Chou’s ears, and, when light returned to the world again, it was to the sight of the large lizard impaled by several large icicles before it gave out a keening moan and burst into a storm cloud of static.

Hasekitsu clapped his hands together once in time with the shift back to the normal Shibuya streets. “And _that’s_ what we call a Fusion attack.”

Chou didn’t care too much about what it was called. She was even having a hard time caring that the Mission was over, still in awe of the power the assault had carried. If she and Suzu could pull off something like that, then winning the Game and making it back to life seemed so much more possible… She turned to Suzu only for her to gasp.

“That’s right!” Suzu said, her voice up half an octave like it did whenever she was nervous. “Chou-chan, we need to be careful. Kano is—”

But Chou didn’t get to hear the rest of the sentence, because the end of the day claimed them, and the last thing she saw before she dropped was Suzu’s panicked expression.

* * *

**[Three Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The First Fourth Day Bonus Episode

“Encounter & Fetch”

* * *

Stuffing her phone into her pocket, Hatake Ryuko stretched out her arms and cast another glance around Tipsy Tose Hall before calling it a bust. Her original idea had been to take advantage of the day’s Mission parameters to score a few extra points, but that plan had to get scrapped after a call from the DM told her to pull back.

_Not like I expected to pull a fast one on him, but he knows keeping me cooped up makes me all twitchy. Ah, what the fuck ever._

Orders were orders, though, so Ryuko didn’t have too much of a choice. She flexed her wings one more time before phasing down to the RG so she could move freely without worrying about the crap ton of Walls set up through the routes. Without any of that in the way, it wasn’t too long of a walk until she made it over to Dogenzaka and into the door of her destination.

“ _Irashai._ ”

“Hey there. I’m picking up a call-in order for Hatake.”

“Right. I was prepping everything fresh, so just give me a few minutes.”

“Not a problem.” While the proprietor rustled around in the kitchen Ryuko dropped herself into an empty booth chair to wait. She fished back out her phone, wondering if she could at least convince someone in Processing to let her know how things were stacking up Game-wise.

“Well look who came out to play.”

The drawling voice was familiar enough that Ryuko turned to face it. Only a few bench seats down were Kariya Koki and Uzuki Yashiro, both of them with half-eaten bowls of ramen in front of them. Uzuki even had a batch of noodles still hanging from her lipsticked mouth. Ryuko shifted a bit, giving the Harrier duo a once over. They’d managed to get pretty chummy in the one year since Uzuki got recruited. “You two seem to be enjoying your day off.”

“What can I say?” Kariya said with a shrug. “We had time to kill, and Uzuki here keeps losing out when it comes to games. Figured I might as well at least get some tasty lunch out—gah, watch the elbows, girl!” It seemed that Uzuki had given Kariya a nasty blow in the side, and Ryuko openly snickered. _Someone needs a better luck stat._

“No one _asked_ you, Kariya.” Uzuki sneered, only giving her partner a vague glance before turning back to her lunch. “As for you, Hatake, I get enough of watching you suck up to the GM, so if you could do me a favor and totally _not_ spoil my lunch—”

Ryuko leaned forward on the counter around Kariya’s still hunched over form and gave Uzuki a grin. “Aw, what’s that? Newbie Reaper feeling jealous?”

Uzuki flushed a shade of pink that put her hair and lipstick to shame. “Who are you callin’ a newbie?”

“Well, I’m definitely not talking about Kariya. You gotta know he’s old news with how long you’ve been hanging around him.”

“Damn, girl,” Kariya said, finishing his overdramatic reaction and sitting back up. “I don’t have _that_ much time over on you.” Ryuko rolled her eyes; last she checked, a few decades was plenty of a time gap. Whatever, Kariya could play coy however the hell he wanted. “Anyways, I’m just surprised on seeing you out and about. Last I checked, you haven’t gotten over your running solo habit.”

“Uzuki’s right. No one asked you. But if you insist on knowing…” Ryuko jerked her head towards the kitchen, where it looked like the proprietor was putting the finishing touches on the take-out bowls, though he had an extra worried crease in his brow. “I’m doing a favor for our auspicious DM. He asked _me_ personally.”

Uzuki almost choked on her next slurp of noodles just as the chef came back to the counter with a carryout bag in hand. “Here’s the order you asked for. Make sure you don’t wait too long on those noodles or they’ll get soggy, alright?”

“Thanks, oji-san.” Ryuko hopped up from her seat, snatching the bag by the handle and heading to the door, ignoring Uzuki’s protests the whole while. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna be sharing some lunch with the DM. Have fun sitting around on your day off, NPCs.”

Flicking a wave into the air, Ryuko slipped out the door and started to make her way back towards the Dead God’s Pad. She would have preferred to skip a bit, since she was feeling in a good mood, but it wouldn’t do too much good to spill lunch. She adjusted the bag, noticing it was heavier than expected. _He went ahead and ordered some for me, too, huh?_

Ryuko smiled, humming under her breath. _You’re really too kind, Daikoku-sama._


	13. The First Fifth Day: “Static & Love”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The First Fifth Day:

“Static & Love”

* * *

Considering that she had woken up on the concrete for five days in a row, Chou was starting to get a bit used to it. What she hated was that, though she’d been some form of unconscious between the end of the Mission and the present, she didn’t feel rested in the slightest. The feeling reminded her far too much of what it was like on the nights when she’d snuck in a bit too much soda and her heart pounded hard enough in her chest that she could hear it through the blankets. Over the halfway point or not, it was hard to think of anything but how exhausted the Reaper’s Game had made her.

_If the point of this struggle is to make me appreciate how good I had it while alive, then it’s working._

The thought of being at home with her family having a simple day sent a pang through her chest, and Chou hauled herself back to her feet. If she had to go through another day without Suzu at her side, she wasn’t sure she would make it. The memory of her panic the previous day just spurned Chou on more, and she set about to scouting the immediate area. Luckily enough, it didn’t take long until she spotted Suzu, propped up against the side of a bench, a hand toying with her braid. She wasn’t as worked up as when Chou had last seen her, but Suzu still had a distant expression on her face that spoke of worry and reminded Chou too much of seeing Suzu in the hospital bed for the first time.

Chou offered Suzu her hand the moment she was close enough. “Yesterday sucked without you.”

Suzu looked up, then bobbed her head in a nod. “The absolute worst.” Her smile was tight, but she took Chou’s hand, taking the help up and then transitioning into a hug. Chou didn’t even protest. Suzu took a few shuddering breaths, and Chou acquiesced to rub her back as best she could. After a few moments, Suzu pulled back, a more natural smile on her face. “Did you see anyone else when you got up?”

Chou shook her head. “Just you so far. Though I would like to find Nee-chan again if we can.” _And keep that Kiryu kid the hell away from her._ He put on a polite front, but Chou had a gut feeling he was bad news for Hotaru. And when it came to her twin, she trusted her gut feelings. “Ah, wait a minute. You were worried, yesterday. Did something happen to Kano-san?” Chou wasn’t a fan of the implications for Hotaru if something happened to him. She’d be just as defenseless as the day before…

Suzu’s eyes widened, as if her memories had just caught up with her mouth. “No, that’s not it at all,” she said, her voice rising in volume. We have to be careful! Something didn’t happen to Kano, but he’s gonna—gghk!”

Her words cutting off into nothing but a grunt, Suzu’s hands flew to her neck. Though her fingers grasped at nothing, Chou could see the indents in her skin, where an invisible force looked to be pressing down hard on her windpipe. Unable to process what was happening before her, Chou could only watch in a stupor.

“Now, now, Tendo-san. It’s not nice to talk bad about people behind their backs.”

The voice was as calm as usual, and its owner looked the same as well. Dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail, dress shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows, one diamond earring sparkling in the sun. Kano’s expression hadn’t changed the slightest, either, which was what made it so unnerving that his hand was raised in a clear gesture of controlling the Psyche that was slowly strangling Suzu.

_What the…_

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Kano’s deep mauve eyes flicked over the Chou, and the dismissiveness of his gaze froze her onto the spot. “What does it look like? I’m eliminating the competition.” Chou disbelievingly mouthed the words, but they didn’t make any more sense the second time around. Kano sighed. “This is a game, Tsukiko. I’m sure by now Hasekitsu’s run his mouth about how it works. At the end, you either did well enough to come back to life, or you have to choose between playing again, turning into one of those Reapers, or becoming Erased. And the only way to get the grand prize is to have enough points.” His smile grew the slightest bit wider. “A bit hard to score enough when you have others running around at the Missions, isn’t it?”

“So the fuck what?” Chou’s voice was trembling, and Suzu’s sounds of choking were shaking her brain and body at once, but Chou still scrambled for any sense of reason. “You suck so bad that you’re willing to kill other people for it? How the hell does that even make you even worthy for coming back to life?!”

“You overestimate the Reaper’s Game, Tsukiko.” Not once wavering in eye contact with Chou, Kano kept his Psyche active. “The UG gives powers to Reapers so that they can kill us. It only cares about how well you handle the challenges you’re given. It doesn’t have _morals_ —if it did, someone like me wouldn’t even be let in the front door. But, you know, this kind of backstabbing game is fine with me. As our Game Master might have noticed, I do tend to play the rogue.”

Tired of hearing his self-centered justifications, Chou charged through the intangible forms of the living, intent on bashing Kano’s face in as best she could. None of her Psyches responded to her call, but she felt confident she could throw a decent punch on her own. He sidestepped out of the way like it was nothing, a laugh dancing right out of his lips.

“Do you want to stop me?” he asked, and Chou charged again. And again and again, not even caring that he was much faster than her. She almost wished a Noise would come and attack them, so they could have a fair fight instead of this—this _bullshit._ The only thing that stopped her assault was the sensation of her legs cracking into a bench she hadn’t even seen through the crowd, sending her toppling over. Kano, who had probably navigated her into position, wasted no time in pinning Chou down, annoyingly adept at restricting her movements with just one free hand. “Too bad. I’d suggest that you try taking some self-defense classes, but you’re not going to get the opportunity.”

Chou twisted her head to glare at Kano. “I’ll kill you…!”

“Sorry, but you’re not going to get the chance.” Still struggling and getting nowhere, Chou hated to think that he was right. “Once your Partner goes, you only have seven minutes to live; did you know that? Tendo-san goes down, and you do, too. A system like that makes my job easier.” _Seven minutes._ A much tighter noose than any time limit the Missions had given them. Chou tried to twist her head to check on Suzu, but having her face pressed into a bench was severely limiting Chou’s vision. “Did you know that strangulation can kill you in two ways? The first is if you suffocate from not being able to breathe. The second is if the pressure cuts off the artery that shoots oxygen to your brain. The second one’s much quicker, but I haven’t quite mastered that yet…so how about I tell you a story about your little girlfriend, Tsukiko? About how she lied to you?”

Suzu let out louder, strangled protests, and she must’ve flailed because an impact kicked into the back of the bench. They were so close, but Chou couldn’t do anything to help her.

“That was a nice little story you told back on day one, Tendo-san. About how you were able to move around again because you wouldn’t be able to play the Game otherwise.” Chou didn’t know which fact sent more ice through her veins: that Kano had been close enough to overhear their conversation and they hadn’t noticed, or the fact that Suzu was still trying to protest, which meant Kano was telling the truth. “The Reaper’s Game isn’t some charity tournament. If you were bedridden before, you’d still be bedridden now, even if you passed the requirements to play. But you had to give up an Entry Fee, just like the rest of us, right? Do you get what that means, Tsukiko?”

Chou did, and shame rushed through her that she hadn’t noticed. She hadn’t pried, but Suzu had never volunteered her Entry Fee, even after Daikoku had forcibly revealed Chou’s. And Suzu had looked almost sick whenever the topic had come up…

_The thing that Suzu values most was—_

“Tendo Suzume’s Entry Fee was her illness,” Kano said, delivering the news with the same level of casualness as Daikoku. “Even though it was bad enough to stick her in the hospital, she still clung to it. What was it about it that you liked, Tendo? Did it end up becoming your whole identity? Were you worried you wouldn’t be anyone anymore if you recovered? Did you like all the attention you got as a sick girl in the hospital? So tragic, getting so sick so young, you had your whole life ahead of you—”

“Shut your fucking mouth!” Chou managed to pull one of her arms free, and she sunk it right into Kano’s gut. He grunted, and the attack gave just enough leeway for Chou to slip free. Kano stumbled back. “You have no goddamn right to judge anyone. You have no idea what Suzu’s gone through!” Chou remembered the tears, both of theirs mixed together, the panic from the diagnosis, the longing way Suzu would stare out the window or look at Chou in her school uniform, wanting things she was too weak to get for herself anymore. “We all had a choice when it came to joining this shitty game—and Suzu chose to _live_! Like _hell_ I’m gonna let you take that away from her.”

She didn’t even give Kano the time to retort, tackling him in the stomach. He was bigger than her, but the sudden assault had thrown him enough off balance that she knocked him into the ground. His head made a nasty noise as it bashed into the concrete, and what looked to be a flicker of static eked out from his hair. Chou sent her first punch into his nose, more static splattering into the air in place of blood, and then she tried to hit anywhere she could, cause any bit of pain to break Kano’s concentration. If she could just make him waver for long enough, then Suzu would be free, Suzu would be fine, and then she could kill the bastard for even daring to _try_ and hurt—

_But if you Erase him, what will happen to Nee-chan?_

The thought froze her, and Kano wasn’t kind enough to let the opening go uncontested. His free fist slid into Chou’s gut with an unfair mix of grace and pain, and then her whole body slammed onto the concrete. Kano stood, planting one dress shoe clad foot into Chou’s stomach and kicking her across the street. “Not a bad effort, Tsukiko. But you’re just a bit too late.”

Chou pushed herself to her feet and raced across the concrete—not towards Kano, where she could fight, but towards Suzu, as if she could do something heroic at the last minute. And though time felt like a hectic blur, it also simultaneously felt like an eternity, one where she could watch the last bits of life slip away from Suzu, watch the last words she chose to try and convey, even without a voice.

_Chou-chan, I—_

And then nothing but static.

Chou collapsed.

_Seven minutes._

It seemed like not enough time at all and far too much—how could she exist in a word without Suzu? Seven minutes was not enough time to grieve. Was it enough time to get revenge? Just how long had it taken for Kano—that _bastard_ to choke the life out of Suzu? What Chou wouldn’t have given for _anything_ that could have changed the situation.

She couldn’t decide if it was better or worse that she was going to die second this time.

“Hm, you’re not going to fight anymore?” Kano asked, having the gall to sound vaguely disappointed. “I guess it’s easier on me if you don’t struggle, since the Game’ll do the rest for me, but I’m surprised you lost your will to fight so quickly. People who make it to day five tend to have a bit more pluck than you.”

Chou’s tongue, body, and mind all felt too numb to pull together a retort. She was supposed to feel anger, right? That was what came next? So then where was the rush of heat cascading through her veins, pushing her onward? Kano was right to insult her if this was the best she could do.

“Well, whatever.” Kano shrugged, turning away from where Chou was still on her knees against the concrete. “Your clock’s ticking down. Too bad for you your Partner was the easiest one to take down; I would’ve much rather worked with you than your weak-willed sister. But the Game is unfair like that, huh? Good game, Tsukiko.”

“Man, I don’t know enough about this stuff, but I’m pretty sure you don’t say stuff like that until it’s game over.”

Hasekitsu swept on the scene in an almost regal looking blur of black. His mouth was in the same of his usual grin, but, unlike usual, something about the display of teeth looked dangerous and feral.

“If Tsukiko-kun’s here, we’ve still got time on the clock—but not enough for a dramatic monologue or anything. So excuse me if I get straight to the point.”

Kano turned, giving his first genuine frown from the start of the morning. “And just what do you plan to—gah!”

Hasekitsu had moved, his fist colliding into Kano’s stomach. Except it wasn’t just an empty hand, and Hasekitsu dexterously pulled back a knife, showering static in its wake. Somehow, the sight was more awful than the blood Chou had been expecting. Kano kneeled over, hands to the fresh slice in his shirt, choking out grunts that sounded more painful than any noise Suzu had made. Chou couldn’t even bring herself to feel satisfaction at the fact.

_Suzu, gone._

“Tsukiko-kun,” Hasekitsu said, his voice far too gentle for having just gutted someone, “I’m gonna take care of this guy, so I suggest you look away.”

The realization of what was about to happen stirred something inside her—wasn’t this the part where she was supposed to show mercy, to let Kano live to experience some other suitable punishment for his actions?

_Suzu, gone, gone, **gone**._

Chou obeyed.

Shutting her eyes didn’t do much to get rid of the sounds that followed, but Hasekitsu was efficient enough that it didn’t matter. Chou blasted her favorite song in her head, drowning out the world in a different context than usual. Time still seemed to be an indiscriminate thing; how much longer did she have? First Suzu to static, then Kano. Chou would be next, and then, also Partnerless—

“Nee-chan.”

Hotaru’s voice was shaking, but she was there. Chou eked open her eyes, the entirety of her vision blurry. Hotaru was crying, too, and yet she was trying to act stable, act like a rock. Nifuji was crouched down beside her, and he’d raised up his phone, where Chou could just make out the words, [If you both Pact now, you can still make it.]

Hotaru had already raised her hands in offering.

Chou considered for one brief moment just letting all the pain tune out like a dead frequency on a radio and then took them.

The same lights she’d seen when Pacting with Suzu flashed through the world, but Chou didn’t see them. She’d already buried her head in Hotaru’s shoulder, and then the two cried.

* * *

Chou wouldn’t have been surprised if the Mission had shown up in all the commotion without her noticing, but her phone was free of any messages and there was still no Timer on her hand. Time had started to shift back into something meaningful, but only because she didn’t know how long she’d been rolling in her grief. She’d cried out all her tears for the moment, though a crack of pain still sat messily throughout her entire chest—with just enough weight to let her know it hadn’t left, but still plenty of leeway between it and her to let Chou start to feel other emotions.

 _Sometimes,_ their mother liked to say, _we can only feel pain in stages. Our brains hold back everything we need to work through, and then gives us new parts when we’re ready to work through it._

Chou couldn’t ever imagine being ready to work through the loss of Suzu, but, then again, she was having a hard time imagining even making it to the end of the week.

Their collective power had just been reduced by two whole Players. She knew Hotaru would be more than capable as a Partner, but Chou doubted she’d be able to contribute much. All the rage and determination she’d channeled the day before felt like a distant dream, a once-loved song on the radio that you’d forgotten the name to.

_But if I don’t play, what will happen to Nee-chan? If her safety was my Entry Fee, then what would happen if I lose?_

If her brain was trying to only regulate the thoughts that Chou was ready to deal with, then it was doing a shitty job at it.

“Oi, Tsukiko-kun, you’re gonna wanna see this.”

Chou looked up from her spot on the concrete at the sound of Hasekitsu’s voice. Her gaze crossed paths with Hotaru’s, who have her a shaky smile. Chou wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to try so hard, but she couldn’t get the words out. So instead she stood, feeling her legs ache just as much as the rest of her emotions, and forced herself to make her way over to where Hasekitsu was standing. “What?”

It was the first word she’d said that wasn’t a sob, and she hated just how dead her tone was. Suzu had always said her voice was—

Oh, gods, how it hurt.

Nifuji was the one to respond, but not via his phone. Instead, he held out a palm, revealing one of Suzu’s butterfly hairclips. A sensation not unlike vomit stuck in Hotaru’s throat. Through whatever system of the universe that controlled Erasure, it had allowed this one little piece of Suzu to remain.

It was silly to cling to it—they were all dead, after all, and there was probably a version of the accessory still in the real world, amongst Suzu’s things—but the hairclip was the one Suzu had been wearing during their time together, a testament to the fight she’d given in the Reaper’s Game. None of what Kano said about her Entry Fee or motivations mattered.

_Suzu was willing to try and get back to life, just like the rest of us._

[You should take it,] Nifuji said, typing just fine with only the one hand. [I mean, if you need a little time, I can hold onto it for you, but—]

Chou stopped reading to shake her head. “It’s fine; I’ll take it.” She cupped her hands together, and when Nifuji passed the hairclip over, it was simultaneously far too heavy and far too light at once. Chou felt worried that she might break it, just by thinking about it too hard, but the red and yellow gen twinkled at her.

_I love butterflies. Eh, your name’s Chou? Then that settles it. We’re destined to be friends!_

Her brain was doing a shitty, shitty job at only giving her things she could deal with.

Chou ducked her head to secure the hairclip to her left tank top strap, and warm tears splattered against her skin.

Nifuji didn’t say anything more, and Hasekitsu chose to keep his mouth shut. Hotaru had worked her way back to Chou’s side, and their hands slipped together. Chou’s grip could have removed fingers, but Hotaru didn’t waver.

“Not to interrupt, but I unfortunately have a schedule to keep. I don’t feel like upsetting Konishi-chan two times in one week, you know?”

It had been two days since she last heard it, but Chou still recognized Daikoku’s voice. His bright blue hair and red cloak were easy to spot in the crowd, and, once he was close enough, the Game Master stepped up onto the closest bench so that all the Players could see him. Even with all the other emotions assaulting her, the urge to kick the Reaper in the face hadn’t fully abandoned Chou.

“Man, I know Kitaniji wants us to focus on getting rid of as many Players as possible, but it’s still a bummer when they go out. We’ve narrowed down the contestants enough that I was starting to get attached to you guys. Well, I’ll work with what I have, either way.” He still hadn’t stopped talking like they were nothing more than pieces on a game board.

A growl emerged from somewhere in Chou’s throat. “If you’re so ‘attached,’ then you could have done something to stop Kano from hurting Suzu!”

Daikoku shook his head, wagging a finger all the while. “That’s not how this works, Tsukiko Chou. It’s just my job to set up the Game within the larger rulebook. I give you the scenarios, and you do with them what you want. Was there ever something that said PvP wasn’t allowed?” No, because that would make anything about the stupid Game fair for the people playing it. “I’m working with a much bigger sandbox, and the rules above me say it’s fine. If you wanna rage quit after people have gone through the trouble to save your ass, I hope you’re ready to put up with the consequences.”

Chou clenched her jaw and Hotaru’s hand tighter. There wouldn’t be any way for Chou to go without taking Hotaru with her, and she’d already made that mistake once before.

“Alright, with that settled.” Daikoku cleared his throat and made a dramatic sweep of his cloak. “Your generous DM has come to deliver your Mission in person. I’ll even be kind enough to send it to your phones later on, but for the time being—

“ _Quest Five: Monsters have begun to overflow Dogenzaka, and the time has come for a hero to bring them to an end. Overthrow the Noise uprising in the area to receive a bounty. You have three hours. Erasure awaits those who fail.”_

And with a smile quirking his lips, Daikoku was gone, and the only thing that came in to replace him was the by-now familiar sting of the Timer against their palms.

* * *

Hotaru knew her priority should be thinking about the fastest way to get to Dogenzaka, but all she could do was keep looking to and thinking about Chou. It seemed impossible that the time was still before noon, but that was what their phones read. The fact that she and Chou were able to survive also seemed impossible.

It had only been luck that she noticed which way Kano had slithered off to and managed to recruit Hasekitsu in time. What would she have done if they hadn’t been fast enough to get rid of Kano and recue Chou?

_Why couldn’t I have been fast enough to save Suzu-san, too?_

Guilt and shame plagued her, but those feelings didn’t change the past. They didn’t win Missions, and they couldn’t make Chou smile again. It was worse, because before, when Suzu had first gone into the hospital, it wouldn’t have been anyone’s fault if she didn’t make it, and now it was very easy to blame three people—two who could have saved her from the one who did it.

“Well, the Noise aren’t about to vanish if we sit here and think about it really hard,” Hasekitsu said, wrapping up some discussion Hotaru hadn’t even half heard. He tucked his hands in his pockets and shrugged his way towards Dogenzaka’s general direction. “Nifuji-kun and I are gonna get going. If you want us to take care of this one, we’ll be sure to wrap it up before the time limit, so we’ll all make it to tomorrow.”

The offer was enough to make Hotaru blink, and even Chou’s fingers jumped in their still conjoined hands. It was hard to tell if the offer was generous or selfish; fighting by Hasekitsu’s side had already proven he enjoyed battle was more than most, grinning as he tore through enemies. He’d welcome any opportunity to fight, and Hotaru was sure that by the rules of the Game he’d get an advantage in points for clearing a whole Mission without any help from another Pact.

On the one other hand, that usual grin wasn’t on his face; whether he was also feeling the loss of Suzu or restraining himself out of consideration for the twins, Hotaru hadn’t the slightest idea. Additionally, Hasekitsu had said his goal was to keep playing the Reaper’s Game as many times as he could. And if he wanted that, he just had to avoid dying—the points to get back didn’t matter.

“Nee-chan,” she said, and then she realized she was about push the decision onto Chou’s shoulders. Chou, who was in far more pain over Suzu’s Erasure than Hotaru could ever imagine. Hotaru took in a measured breath so she wouldn’t stutter. “If you want to find a safe place to rest for the day, I won’t have a problem with that. But I think…I want to be there.”

Chou let out a breath that was something like laughter. “Look at you, Nee-chan. Trying to act all tough when you’re scared out of your mind.” Hotaru didn’t bother to argue against it; she _was_ scared, and Chou knew her better than anyone else. Chou thought for a few moments, and Hotaru chose to focus on the way her sister chewed her bottom lip, rather than the hollow look in her eyes. “I may…need a bit to get back to full capacity. So can I be selfish and ask you to let me lean on you a bit?”

“Of course!” Far more than ever, they were each other’s ultimate and last lifeline. “Don’t force yourself to be better right away. I’m sure that three heads are gonna be plenty to take care of whatever we need to handle today.” Potentially five, if they managed to come across Yoshiya and his Partner. They’d make it enough.

“A full house, huh?” Hasekitsu said, a grin starting to twitch at his lips, despite his best efforts. “Let’s get this day started, then.”

They started off towards A-East, but a Wall was in their way, with no Reaper in sight. Though everyone reached for their Keypins out of instinct, not a single one remained between them (“Not that surprising, since Players normally don’t have them anyways,” Hasekitsu remarked). That left taking the loop around 104. Hotaru was sure that Yoshiya could have found them a much quicker route, but she didn’t have the courage to suggest looking for weak points in the Reaper’s handiwork when it would be more of a gamble than anything else.

When they did finally make it to the designated street for the Mission, Nifuji was the first one to Scan their surroundings, and he almost dropped his pin in the process. When Hotaru followed suit, she understood why: there was almost nothing but red as far as she could see, save for a few other patchwork splashes of color of the RG that slipped through the cracks. It looked more like it would take three _days_ than three hours to get rid of one. She was too afraid to even move, worried that she’d brush into one Noise and the rest would fall down on them, like a collapsing card castle.

The thought alone was enough for her to loosen her grip on her Player pin, and Chou muttered, “How the hell are we supposed to deal with that?”

[There’s gotta be another source.] Rather than having the fear leak into his voice, the emotion was plainly evident in Nifuji’s staggered taps against his phone keys. [Hasekitsu and I had a Wall we needed to clear that involved taking out Noise, and they were feeding off of negative emotions.]

Hotaru nodded, able to pick up the explanation. “Kan—We had something like that, too. There were these yellow Noise that latch onto people with problems and make their feelings worse. And all that negative emotion…”

“…attracts new Noise. Gold star for you, Tsukiko-kun,” Hasekitsu said. Chou was the only one who hadn’t had such an encounter, but she seemed to understand well enough. “Of course, nothing on this scale, of course. I’m willing to bet that the Noise have hooked themselves onto several people. It’s the only way I can see something of this scale happening.”

“So Daikoku’s gone ahead and ruined more people’s lives just to give us a challenge,” Chou said, not even bothering to conceal the bitterness in her tone. “Goodie.”

“Noise do happen, even without the Reaper’s Game, you know. It’s not like people stop feeling negative things just because there aren’t some dead folks running around in the UG. Though I won’t deny that the GM’s tend to use us to clean up their problems in ‘Buya.” Hasekitsu shrugged, then led the charge down the street. “Let’s see if we can find the source of this mess and start monster hunting.”

Without the Player Pin clenched in her hand, the street looked relatively safer, but Hotaru didn’t quite feel up to snuff knowing that so many Noise were clustering, just a Scan away. They wouldn’t indiscriminately attack, not while everyone present had Partners, but that didn’t do much to take away the unsettling feeling slipping through her stomach.

Any poetry lines that reached her seemed to be aching with sorrow.

They did a full sweep of the area, from the 104 side entrance up towards A-East (where a Reaperless Wall was in the way) and to the foot of the steps of the Pork City Building. Nothing immediately obvious was present that could serve as the source for the Noise. Even Hasekitsu frowned, looking stumped as he finished a quick Scan of their immediate surroundings.

“There’s no way the source of everything ain’t here. Dungeons and Dicehead may come up with some interesting gimmicks, but he wouldn’t just dump a bunch of Noise here and let us have a beat ‘em up fest. I don’t think three hours would be anywhere near enough to handle all this mess, even if we did fight them all.”

[Maybe the Noise targets are in the area, just not where we can readily see them. I mean, it’s not like stepping into a building suddenly means you stop feeling negative emotions, right?]

“So what, we’re supposed to hunt through every building in the area?” Chou asked. Though the choice of words was annoyed, her tone didn’t have any of its usual bitter bite. “That’s even less possible within the time limit than taking out this sea of Noise.”

“We could start with any buildings with Sigils on them, maybe?” Hotaru said. “I mean, i-it’ll give us something to do, and maybe by the time we’re done…”

Hasekitsu nodded. “Oh, so our target might have moved into the open by then. It’s not like the GM can control Mission targets one-hundred percent. It sounds worth a shot to me.” Nifuji and Chou also nodded their assent, and Hasekitsu looked down the road, raising a hand over his eyes to keep the sun at bay. “It doesn’t look like they’ve added any place new to the roster here, so then that narrows it down. Nifuji and I can take Cosmic Corner, since that guy’s real picky about who shops where, and our two Tsukiko-kuns can take Ramen Don—”

“ _No,_ ” Hotaru and Chou said at the same time—Hotaru’s voice more forceful than usual and Chou’s even more subdued. Both Nifuji and Hasekitsu looked taken aback by the reaction. Chou cleared her throat, managing to think up some cover first: “I’m still feeling nauseous from earlier. I think if I even _smell_ food, I’m gonna hurl, and that won’t do any good when it comes to collecting info for the Mission.”

[Fair enough.] Chou gave a weak but appreciative smile, and Nifuji returned with an understanding smile of his own. [Hasekitsu and I will take care of it. We can meet in the middle when we’re done.]

Nifuji flashed the next part of his message to Hasekitsu before the two took off down the street. “Yeah, I’m comin’…”

Hotaru was impressed that she managed to hold in her sigh long enough for the others to get out of earshot. Chou, who had been putting up a front, looked even more exhausted than before. No matter how much Hotaru wanted to see someone from her family, to pretend like everything was okay, there wasn’t an excuse in the world that could explain where she and Chou had been, that they were playing a death game and—as the morning had reminded them—there was a chance they wouldn’t make it back.

“I fucking hate this Game,” Chou said.

Hotaru, minus the profanities, had to agree.

* * *

“I told ya. Ain’t sellin’. I’m keeping these things safe for real customers, you dig?”

“We heard you the first time, old man! Come on, Nee-chan, we’re not making any progress here.”

Chou strode back towards the door, the shop bell angrily jangling in the process. Hasekitsu hadn’t been kidding when he’d said that the owner in charge of Cosmic Corner was picky, and there hadn’t even been anyone else in the store that could be a potential source for the Noise. Hotaru, trailing in Chou’s wake, dipped into a short bow and said, “Sorry about my sister,” before scrambling back onto the streets.

The interaction was a familiar pattern in their lives (existences? It hurt too much to think about the semantics). Chou would be upset about something, and that emotion would bleed out into the world. Hotaru would usually remind her to calm down, that taking out your feelings on other people, but it didn’t feel right to do it after everything. Hotaru felt afraid that if she took away Chou’s irritation, the remainder would be nothing but a ghost of who Chou could be, an empty container with only a centimeter of water in the bottom.

_I need you to be okay, Nee-chan, because otherwise I might not make it._

Hotaru hadn’t felt like a whole person since she had Chou had left the house for popsicles when they were still alive.

Chou pushed her bangs out of her eyes, showing off the scowl on her face. “Well that was a bust. I hope that Hasekitsu and Nifuji have found something, otherwise I’m calling this Mission rigged.”

“I’m sure they did,” Hotaru said, catching up to Chou’s stride. “I m-mean, Hasekitsu-san has a lot more experience than we do. If anyone can find what’s going on, it would be him.” And besides, Hotaru had a gut feeling that the source of the Noise _was_ at Ramen Don, though she didn’t know how to say it. It was like the song she’d imagined the day before was louder on that end of the district, louder and more anguished.

Between Hasekitsu’s tallness and Nifuji’s general pastel clothing choices, they were easy to pick out amongst the crowd. The twins closed the distance quickly. “Find anything?” Chou asked, still sounding agitated.

Hasekitsu didn’t so much as blink. “Yeah, and I think you two are gonna want to see this.”

Hotaru’s stomach dropped, the combination of potentially getting seen by her uncle and not looking forward to whatever Hasekitsu and Nifuji had found making the sensation all the worse. Her mind raced for an excuse—until she noticed that the CLOSED sign was still up, despite the time of day. Nifuji was pointing at one of the windows, and Hotaru and Chou both stepped up to the glass and cupped their hands around their eyes to better see through the sun’s glare.

The shapes were unmistakable. Their mother, normally so strong and composed, hunched over with deep bags beneath her eyes. Their father, looking much worse for wear, his mouth forming words that Hotaru couldn’t read. Their uncle, still dressed for work with a bandana tied onto his head and a frown on his face, not behind the counter but sitting amongst the others. Their grandmother, dressed in a kimono that would have looked more in fashion several decades ago, her eyes closed as if in a trance.

“Oh, gods, they brought in Grandma,” Chou whispered, and Hotaru flinched. Their grandmother was a wonderful woman, and Hotaru had always enjoyed visiting her, seeing little pieces of their family history mixed in with treats. Their grandmother also had something of a sixth sense (their mother tended to enjoy telling the story of how, once, they’d stopped in the middle of the street for their grandmother to presumably attempt to talk to the spirit of her husband, who had passed a few weeks beforehand), which inevitably meant that their parents had assumed the worst.

“They think we’re dead,” Hotaru whispered back, and it sent a rush of cold through her veins. The worst of it was that they _were_ dead, just potentially not permanently. It was no wonder that the whole family was in the throes of sorrow. Hotaru suspected that the only reason there _weren’t_ more Noise was because Dogenzaka only had space for so much at once.

_We did that, we did that to them—_

_No._ I _did that to them._

From a larger perspective, it was impossible for Hotaru to be at fault for her kidnapping. She knew that. But it didn’t change the facts, didn’t change that, once Chou had been gone and all that was left was a corpse and some blood, Hotaru had still made a decision on what to do with the end of her life. _That_ had been a choice.

And so had entering the Reaper’s Game, even when she knew the cost for her would be—

Inside of Ramen Don, she could see her mother getting more agitated, her mouth spitting out words. Never in Hotaru’s memory could she recall her parents shouting when they disagreed, and yet her father was saying something in return, a hard set to his mouth an angry crease between his brow. Uncle Ken tried to say something to ease the tension, but it wasn’t very effective.

Slowly, their grandmother’s eyes wandered away from the discussion happening before her and towards the window where the Players had gathered.

Hotaru and Chou both stepped back at the same time, hiding themselves in the crowd for whatever it was worth. Hotaru bumped into Nifuji in the process, and Hasekitsu had an eyebrow quirked at their response. “Why do you two look like you saw a ghost when you’re the dead ones?”

“That was—they’re—” Hotaru stopped her incohesive babbling, forcing herself to take a deep breath and collect her thoughts. The fact that Chou didn’t immediately jump into the conversation to cover just showed how rattled she was. “That’s our family,” she said, deciding that the detail about her psychic grandmother potentially being able to see them wasn’t as important as the rest of us.

Nifuji had a unique talent for making an already concerned expression look even more so. [Your family?]

“It’s not that surprising. You don’t see that shade of green hair all that often,” Hasekitsu said, referring to their father. “Well, at least it makes sense why they’re the source of the Noise, then. Losing both of you at once must’ve been rough.” Hotaru gripped onto her pin pouch and pressed her lips together, too shameful to admit that her Entry Fee had impacted them as well. “Either way, they’re still the Mission target. We’ve gotta figure out the way to calm them down, or we’re all toast.”

Nifuji started to type something, their thumb hitting the keys with enough force to indicate anger, but Chou shook her head. “Don’t worry about it, Nifuji. Hasekitsu’s right. We’ve already carved through a large chunk of our time. Nee-chan and I aren’t going to help our family any by getting Erased here. Let’s just figure out what we need to do.”

Hasekitsu crossed his arms and nodded. “Well, if you’ll take my veteran opinion, this doesn’t look like a problem we’ll be able to fix just by taking out the Noise latched onto your folks. We’re going to have to get to the root of their problem and try to calm things down from there. Once we handle that, it’ll be way easier to fight off whatever there is and clear the mess out.”

“What then? Are Nee-chan and I supposed to just waltz in the door, go ‘hi, everyone, sorry for making you worry, but we died and we’re playing a death game to try and come back to life! Don’t worry, we’ll see you in a few days, love you, bye’?”

“Well, you’d be the first set of Players I’d see be able to handle a Mission like that.”

“I didn’t ask for your sarcasm, asshole!”

“Um,” Hotaru said, trying to intervene before another argument could start up right in front of her, “I think…there’s something called Imprinting, right? Sh-shouldn’t we be able to make use of that?” She hadn’t tried it herself, but Kano had mentioned it before, and it seemed like the best way to influence what was going on short of knocking down the door to Ramen Don.

[That’s right!] Nifuji said, looking relieved at an opportunity to divert the conversation in a different direction. [You mentioned it, too, Hasekitsu-san. We should be able to Imprint our ideas on them to hopefully calm the situation down. The trick is just figuring out the right things to say to help calm down the Noise.]

Hotaru noticed the somewhat confused look on Chou’s face and added, “It’s something we can do with our Player pins. You can slip a word or phrase into someone else’s thoughts. Kind of like whenever you get inspired by the right thing popping into your head at the right time.”

“Great. Mind control,” Chou said, looking more drained then ever. Hasekitsu opened his mouth, but Chou batted him off. “I get it’s not like that. But you’re right, Nee-chan; that’s probably our best bet.” Hotaru couldn’t quite bring herself to smile at the praise, but it did help relieve some of the tension knotting in her chest. Chou’s eyes wandered back towards the shopfront, though she was still halfway using Hasekitsu as a shield. “It’s gotta be Grandma, then.”

Hotaru hummed in agreement—and then tried to puzzle out the best thing to say for the situation. Hasekitsu hummed, too, but it was more of a thoughtful noise than anything else. “Normally we’d handle this sort of thing with a meme, but I think you two probably know best when it comes to this,” he said. “So then, that means it’s up to me and Nifuji-kun to try and clear out some of the Noise to hopefully calm things down enough to make your job easier.”

Nifuji let out a breath of a sigh. [You just want to fight some tough Noise since there’s so many around.]

“Your point being?”

“W-wait, before you go,” Hotaru said, managing to make Hasekitsu pause right before he closed his hand over his Player Pin for a fresh scan. He tilted his head at her, almost looking like an animal. “Do you know what happens whenever people win and do come back to life, Hasekitsu-san? Like, do people remember you died or…?”

Nifuji and Chou both turned towards Hasekitsu as well, curious looks on their faces. Hotaru tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but to little success. “Well,” Hasekitsu said, “I’ve obviously never had the experience of that myself, nor do I plan to. But from what I’ve heard around, looks like whoever’s in charge of resurrection can make it seem like we’ve never died in the first place to anyone outside the Game.”

Something like a rush of relief made its way into Hotaru’s veins, for what little it was worth. There was a way they could save their family the pain of loss— _Assuming you survive the rest of the week, assuming you do enough to get back to life._

_Assuming you get your Entry Fee back at the end._

Hotaru let out a breath. “Thank you, Hasekitsu-san. That’s all I wanted to know.”

“No problem, Tsukiko-kun. C’mon, Nifuji-kun. Let’s get cracking.”

Nifuji rolled his eyes as if to say, _As if I have much choice in the matter._

It was a strange experience, watching someone else shift into battle with the Noise while staying behind. Their bodies seemed to glow for a moment—Hasekitsu a carmine red and Nifuji a pastel yellow—and then they’d vanished from the streets of the UG. Chou let out a heavy exhale and let some of her composed expression crumble. “Do you think we can do this, Nee-chan?”

Hotaru tried to cling onto some of the confidence that had fueled her before, but it was quickly draining away up against the prospect of actually finding a way to calm down all the Noise surrounding their family. “I think it’s like what Hasekitsu-san said. If there’s going to be anyone who can take care of this one fastest, it’s going to be us.”

Chou’s frown deepened, as did the crease between her brows. “I guess so. But this is hard—watching them like that and not being able to say anything.”

Hotaru had to agree. Whenever she and Kano had encountered times where they had to clear out the yellow Noise before, it had always been some stranger. It was so much easier to handle from a distance. Now she was looking at a problem she caused, and the results were messy.

_That’s all the more reason for you to pick up the pieces, Tsukiko Hotaru. This one’s on you._

“Well, we can Imprint at least. And I think you were right before, Nee-chan, in that we’d likely have the best bet with Grandmother. The trick is figuring out how to get her in range so we can; I think the modulator decal interferes with the Player Pin—”

If Chou’s widening eyes weren’t enough for Hotaru to cut herself off mid-sentence, then getting passed through by Ramen Don’s door would have done the trick. Though it didn’t affect her in any physical way, Hotaru still scrambled out of the way. Grandmother Hiromi had stepped out onto the street. Even with her growing age, she stood tall and proud on the street, a trait that had passed down to her daughter and Chou after her. In comparison, Hotaru had almost hunched over from the shock.

Worrying that the rest of her family might follow, Hotaru took a glance inside, but it was obvious that the others were still inside, their arguing haven’t quelled in the slightest. The door slipped shut before any of the words inside could make it out, and Hiromi’s eyes slid across the street before first falling on Hotaru and then Chou.

Chou gave a wide-eyed glance that was clearly asking _What do we do now?_ and Hotaru didn’t have an answer.

“If you’re here,” Grandmother Hiromi said, almost too quietly, “I can listen.”

Tears welled up in Hotaru’s eyes in an instant, and Chou failed to fight off a sniffle. Throughout everything, Hotaru had been struggling to keep herself together, and she hadn’t even fully succeeded with that. Getting even this close to a taste of home, of support from an adult family member—even if it wasn’t direct and there was so much between them—was enough for so many of her held back feelings to rise to the surface and release.

Grandmother Hiromi’s sight was only powerful enough to sense where things were, not actually see all the way into the UG, so she couldn’t have known what exactly was happening. But she stepped to the side of the door, tucked her hands into her kimono sleeves, and stood like a patient vigil, looking every bit like an old period photograph if it weren’t for Ramen Don’s mascot standing beside her.

Hotaru tried to suck in her snot so she could breathe again, while Chou scrubbed at her eyes. “Nee-chan,” Hotaru said, “what should we say?”

“I don’t know!” Chou’s voice wasn’t angry, just overwhelmed. “I could write twenty album’s worth of lyrics, and it wouldn’t be enough.” Hotaru felt the same way. If they made it back, then what they said wouldn’t matter, but, if they didn’t, then it would matter almost too much. Chou reached out, clasping Hotaru’s hands in hers. “You should do it, Nee-chan. You always write poetry way faster than I do. When you’re in the zone, you know exactly the right words.”

“I-I don’t—not really—” But her protesting wouldn’t do much good up against Chou. She’d gone so far as to submit Hotaru’s poetry to a magazine before without permission, because Chou had that much faith in what she was writing. Hotaru sighed. “I-I’ll try. But don’t blame me if it’s not right.”

“Nah. I trust you.”

Those words were surprisingly enough, and Hotaru was able to grip onto her Player Pin and her phone with slightly less shaking hands. It wasn’t as if she only had the one shot; there was still time left. So all she had to do was give it a shot, and then give it another if the first draft wasn’t good enough.

Hotaru shut her eyes. _So what would I want to hear if I were hurting that much?_

There was only ever one answer to that.

Typing with deliberate caution so she wouldn’t misspell anything, Hotaru willed the words she’d written to reach the intended recipient.

Grandmother Hiromi blinked once, and a small sort of smile formed on her face. “We love you, too. Don’t forget that.”

Hotaru couldn’t do a thing to stop the next torrent of tears, and Chou cried along with her. At some point, their hands came together, and then they were hugging again, the same as the morning. But it was also somewhat different than that, too, because unlike all the grief and sorrow that had come before, now inside Hotaru’s chest was a sensation of catharsis, a feeling of hope.

She was only dimly aware of the fact that Grandmother Hiromi had stepped back into the shop, and neither of the twins watched to see if Hotaru’s words had been a success. They didn’t need to, because Hotaru could almost feel the shift in the atmosphere as the Noise melted away, and Hasekitsu and Nifuji must have been successful in fighting what remained, because soon the Timers melted away from their palms as a sign of a Mission complete.

_I want to survive this. I want to give my family back their happiness. I want—_

“Nee-chan,” Hotaru said, “let’s do everything we can to make it back home together.”

* * *

**[Two Days Left]**

* * *

* * *

The First Fifth Day Bonus Episode

“Conclusion & Choice”

* * *

“And now, Players, it is time to make your decision.”

In the same old white room at the end of the Reaper’s Game as always, Hasekitsu Nepuro waited on the sidelines as Megumi went through the same usual spiel. The one kid who’d managed to win their way back to life was already gone, and that left just two others: Nepuro’s past Partner for the week and some business guy with his hair pulled back into a ponytail.

_This part’s always a drag, anyways. You already know what I’m going to be doing. Just put me in storage or whatever the hell it is and wake me up when it’s time to go again._

“Very well, we’ll induct you as one of our Reapers. And you, Kano Eikichi? Will you take the same path?”

“I decline.”

Waiting on the sidelines with his arms crossed, Nepuro glanced over to where the Conductor stood before the Players. Kano seemed to be standing his ground, his body language a bit on the tense side for the casual expression he was trying to play off. _Oho?_

“I don’t plan on retiring so easy,” Kano said, staring down the Conductor with a bit more vigor than most Players managed on the first round. “I’ll be playing a second time.”

If Megumi was surprised by Kano’s intensity, he didn’t show it, either. “That settles matters, then. You two will be on hold until the next Game begins.”

Kano put on a satisfied smile, but Nepuro caught the slight edge in his look. Playing alongside guys like that tended to make things even more interesting than usual, so it wasn’t like Nepuro was about to complain.

_Who would’ve thought a guy like that wanted to live so badly?_


	14. The Sixth Day: “Compete & Slam”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Sixth Day:

“Compete & Slam”

* * *

Sunshine. People chattering. Back on the concrete. Chou didn’t know why she’d expected anything else out of her morning, but the same old sensations met her once again. The biggest difference, though, was the weight of emotions still pressing down on her. The loss of Suzu, connecting with Hotaru as her Partner, seeing their parents so broken up over her and Hotaru’s death—It was a lot to go through in twenty-four hours, let alone three, and being heavily unconscious until the next day didn’t do her any favors.

_If the Reapers can drop us wherever the hell they want in Shibuya, couldn’t they at least dump us on something comfortable to sleep on? Hell, I’d even take waking up on the grass in Miyashita Park over this._

Chou well knew that griping over unrelated trifles was one of her biggest ways of deflecting dealing with her feelings, but she needed to be on top of things for the next few days. Once the Reaper’s Game was over, then she could let herself break down. But not now. Not whenever Hotaru was working so hard so that they could make it home together.

The thought of her sister helped pull Chou to her feet, and she assessed their surroundings. The penultimate day had landed them outside of Shibu-Q Heads, and Hotaru was standing nearby, along with Hasekitsu and Nifuji. Chou cracked her neck a few times as she approached, and Hotaru’s eyes darted towards her. “Oh, Nee-chan, you’re awake!”

Nodding her greetings to the rest of them, Chou stepped into the spot Hotaru had opened up for her. “Awake and ready to roll,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. While her voice didn’t come out as strong as she would have wanted, it wasn’t anywhere close to how pathetic it had sounded the day before. “Any word on the Mission? Or do you think Daikoku is gonna come be as dramatic as yesterday?” The memory still brought a nasty taste to Chou’s mouth.

Hasekitsu shrugged. “Not yet. Nifuji-kun and I worked our way down from Udagawa before we crossed paths. I was just complimenting Tsukiko-kun on her job well done yesterday. Of course, the same goes for you Tsukiko-kun.”

Chou let out a half-hearted snort. “Nah, that was all Nee-chan yesterday. I just played support.” That was putting it mildly, as she had mostly let Hotaru handle it since Chou herself couldn’t have imagined comforting someone else’s grief on top of her own. _If I hadn’t agreed to playing the Reaper’s Game, would Hotaru at least been able to make it back to them?_

The beeping of their phones cut off any following thoughts of self-blame for the moment, and a temporary silence hung over the group as they took in the words.

_Quest Six: Though you are close to your end goal, a local tournament has sprung up nearby. You decide to take a breather and participate before heading into to final challenge. Emerge as the victor. You have five hours. Erasure awaits those who fail._

Chou had the string of the Timer press into her palm so many times that she hardly even recognized it as pain anymore. Nifuji still grimaced a bit, but he was as quick as ever to type up his thoughts. [Well, that seems straightforward enough. The trick is going to be finding this tournament and making sure we can enter.]

The idea of showing up late to whatever they were supposed to enter and completely missing out on the opportunity to clear the Mission was not an appealing prospect. Chou jabbed her thumb in the direction of Tipsy Tose Hall. “Well, if the thing was in Udagawa, I’m sure you two would have noticed it. Let’s try our luck somewhere else.”

It was more than enough consensus to get them moving, and it didn’t take up too much of their time to make it to the most easily accessible area. It also didn’t take long for them to take a guess at what they were supposed to be doing for the day, as there was a rather large signboard setup outside one of the buildings, as well as a mini crowd milling outside the entrance. Above the door was a sign that read STRIDE. If Chou remembered right, the place was a sort of game store with plenty of space in the back for people to set up cards and board games.

“I swear that if Daikoku expects us to play some tabletop thing we’ve never touched before and win…”

“Yeah, I think we’re going to be spared from that fate,” Hasekitsu said, his eyes flickering over the signboard. “However, this is probably where we need to be…”

Following Hasekitsu’s gaze, Chou easily found what he was talking about. Sure enough, the signboard was advertising a tournament for the day, with open participation. “Tin Pin?!”

“I’m kind of impressed at how popular it’s gotten. Sure, I haven’t been out and about for a Game in a bit, but I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t have been a crowd this size for a mini tournament just a few weeks ago, and it’s even less likely they would have used it for a Mission.”

[Well, they did just start airing the Slammurai anime. I’m not too surprised that it’s started to catch on more.]

Hasekitsu gave Nifuji an amused look. “Are you familiar with it, Nifuji-kun? Happen to play much?”

Chou was impressed that Nifuji didn’t immediately flush red. Tin Pin’s target audience happened to mostly be people that were at least half of Chou’s age, let alonee Nifuji’s. [My younger cousin’s into it, and they don’t have many other people to play with. Plus the anime makes me kinda nostalgic.] Nifuji shrugged. [I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but I can put up a decent enough match, I like to think. Depending on who’s here to play, I might stand a chance at winning.]

“Well, I definitely haven’t had a lot of practice myself, but joining will be better than not. The more slots we Players can take up, the better chance we have at scoring the victory for the Mission.”

“Good, because I happen to suck at it,” Chou said, crossing her arms. She’d given it a shot with Suzu for the hell of it, but neither of them had been very good. All Chou would be contributing to the tournament would be giving someone else an easy pass onto the next round.

Hasekitsu’s teasing grin came back in full force. “And our other Tsukiko-kun?”

“Well, Nee-chan…”

A glance at Hotaru was enough of an answer, as she was already sucked into her own mental world—the one of fierce concentration usually reserved for poetry, just with a bit more muttering aloud involved. “Hm, the deck I have now is okay, but definitely not a competitive set by any means. These two would work alright, I think, but this one’s too hard to control, and I don’t have a balance of whammies, either. I guess I could see if they have the tournament default set to work with, but that’s not going to go right with my playstyle, and anyone more experienced will be able to take advantage of that…” Still muttering, Hotaru shuffled through her pouch, collecting pins into her hands and shaking her head every so often. Chou had mostly let Hotaru be when it came to the game, as it was nice to see her get into something outside her usual comfort zone, but who would have thought Tin Pin of all things would end up being useful in the Reaper’s Game?

“You need any help there, Tsukiko-kun?” Hasekitsu asked, snapping Hotaru out of her self-induced reverie.

“A-ah, sorry!” Hotaru flushed red all the way down her neck in an instant. A few pins almost slipped out of her grasp, and she yelped while trying to catch them. “I was thinking about the best set of pins I could end up using to compete. I mean, yes, you can just play with whatever and do alright, but since the Mission said we needed to win, I thought…”

[If you need more pins, I think we can help. Do you mind sharing, Hasekitsu?]

Hasekitsu shook his head. “Not a problem if it means we have a better chance.” Chou, now on the sidelines, raised a half-questioning eyebrow. “If you want a better selection of pins, I’ve got plenty. Here, see if there’s something you like. I can’t use ‘em all anyways.”

Chou had expected Hasekitsu to have a few backups, but she hadn’t expected the practical _shower_ of pins that emerged from his pockets. Nifuji didn’t help by doing basically the same thing, and Chou had now idea where they even fit all the things. Nifuji caught Chou’s wide-eyed expression and said, [This is what happens whenever you get into a fight with any Noise within scanning distance.]

“Excuse you, a lot of these are from previous Games. I _am_ a veteran Player, you know.” Hotaru had also gone wide-eyed, but her look also conveyed an element of heavy excitement. Like a vendor showing off his wares, Hasekitsu gestured a hand over the pile he’d upended on the concrete. “If you think something will do ya good, Tsukiko-kun, go ahead and take it. You, too, other Tsukiko-kun. Sticking with the same pins means you get really good with them, but sometimes you gotta upgrade if you want to stand a chance.”

_It’s a good thing we’re invisible, or I could totally see us getting accused of littering right now._

That thought didn’t stop her from crouching down next to the pin mountain. While Chou hadn’t really participated in any of the fighting yesterday, she knew that Hasekitsu was right. She’d already started to notice some of her attacks coming up short of the expected results when squaring off against the Reapers, and that wouldn’t do any good whenever they still had the final day to go.

Chou ran her hands through the pin pile, snatching a few that caught her interest based on the design, while Hasekitsu gave her a few pointers on which ones she might be able to use based on her current set of Psyches. Hotaru was in full swing, and she managed to not only build her own Tin Pin deck to her satisfaction, but had talked Nifuji through some strategy terminology that went right over Chou’s head, built two more decks for the others, and swapped out a few of her starter pins for enhanced versions. Let no one say that Tsukiko Hotaru couldn’t be efficient when she set her mind to something.

 _Though she totally could have left me out of her tournament planning._ With a fresh deck of pins dedicated to the game, it wasn’t like Chou could just stick to _her_ plan of sitting on the sidelines.

“Alright,” Hotaru said, helping Nifuji and Hasekitsu scrape the remainder of their massive pin collection back into their pockets, “that should be good enough to give us a fighting chance. Let’s get going before they close up registration!” Not one to argue with anything that made Hotaru focused, Chou followed her twin through the crowd and into the store.

It was almost just as packed inside, half the people browsing about the shelves with looks on their faces which suggested they were killing time. A decent-sized cluster of its own was around one of the countertops, where several elementary and middle school aged kids were picking out pins for last minute upgrades to their decks, with a few redheads almost shoving each other out of the way in their enthusiasm. The tournament signup was close to the back room, and Hotaru had already marked down both their names by the time Chou caught up with her.

_Alright, fine, I guess I’m in. She can’t blame me if I don’t contribute much. She knows I suck at this, right?_

After Hasekitsu and Nifuji had also signed up, all they could really do was wait. Hotaru went to check out the playing field (which wasn’t much more than a weird-shaped table along with the requisite nearby controls). Chou found a spot up against a poster on the wall that she could lean up against without being in immediate range of hell-raising children worked up over whose accessories would reign supreme. Whoever was behind the marketing team for Tin Pin sure knew what the hell they were doing.

Still keeping a watchful eye on Hotaru, Chou casted another quick glance around the room, content with people watching until the tournament time started. Nifuji seemed to be explaining some action figure or another to an overly interested-looking Hasekitsu, while a couple of people who looked to be the organizers were starting to set up a tournament bracket on a whiteboard they’d pulled from the back of the room. No one else in the vicinity screamed _Player_ to Chou, but she did catch sight of one of the red-hoodied Reapers just a few seconds short before his back pressed up against the wall right next to her. Too caught up in shock to remember that she was visible inside the store, Chou didn’t bother to hide her outright shock at his presence, and the Reaper caught her expression without much effort.

“A Player?!” he said, sounding just as surprised as Chou did before clearing his throat and putting on an air of self-importance. “I-I mean, of course you’re here. I came on the GM’s orders, ya know?”

Even Hotaru wasn’t trusting enough to believe such an obvious lie—and Chou had at least half of her sister’s general faith in humanity. “Uh-huh,” she said, crossing her arms. She highly suspected the guy would outright attack her when they were technically tuned into the RG, plus she’d figured out that the ones in red tended to be much more along the Support end of things, which made them annoying, but not necessarily a threat. “I wasn’t aware Dungeons and Dicehead was so into screwing over Players that he’d have his underlings learn how to play a children’s pin game.”

“W-well, that’s cause—he—” Watching the guy stutter made him seem several levels less intimidating, and Chou relaxed out of the defensive stance she’d taken. The Reaper gave up the bluster and sighed. “Oh, balls. Look, I like Tin Pin, okay? It’s my day off and I just wanted to do something fun, so sue me.”

For as much energy Chou had expended on marking the Reapers as the enemy, it was much harder to maintain that stance whenever she was face to face with a guy who was just trying to enjoy his—admittedly out of the ballpark—hobby in his free time. Sure, he probably could have done without the Reaper getup if he wanted to be less conspicuous, but to anyone who _wasn’t_ involved with the Reaper’s Game, it just looked a lot like casual clothes. Nifuji’s explanation of your options once you made it through the Game sprang back to mind, and Chou had to remind herself that, for all the BS the Reapers shoved on Players, they had once been human, too.

Applying that same sentiment to Daikoku, who had sat by and just let Kano Erase Suzu, was another matter entirely.

Blowing some hair out of her eyes, Chou settled back against the wall. “Relax. If you’re not gonna get in our way, I’m not about to rat out what you get up to when you’re off the clock. Just know that there are other Players here, too, and they’ll probably notice you.” Though maybe not recognize him, given how the uniform outfits of the Support Reapers made them all blend together. The guy might have been responsible for handing out one of their Wall missions, and Chou wouldn’t have been able to tell. She did notice the relieved expression on his face, even underneath the pulled down brim of his face, and, looking closer, he did seem somewhat familiar…

The connection was so far away from anything Chou had been thinking about during the Reaper’s Game that it took a moment for it to catch up with her—and when it did, it slammed into her awareness like a truck. “W-wait a sec. You’re Tenho, the bassist from Def Mӓrch, aren’t you?!”

It took several more seconds for the concept that a member from one of her favorite bands was a Reaper—and then she really thought about the other two and realized that it was super-obvious they were, too. She would have never guessed that the group spent the time they _weren’t_ making music corralling dead people through the underworld.

The Reaper— _Tenho, that’s definitely fucking Tenho_ —looked just as surprised as Chou felt by her exclamation. “Uh, yeah, that’s me. You actually recognize me? People normally don’t do that unless I’m hanging around with 777…”

“Are you kidding me?!” Chou clenched her hands into excited fists and leaned in. “I mean, yeah, 777 has the most iconic look of you all, and he’s the lead singer so he catches all sorts of attention, but it’s you and him and BJ altogether that make Def Mӓrch what it is! Plus, I mean, I’m a bassist, too—er, well, I can _play_ bass, and I know you can pull off some real crazy stuff when you’re in the groove, so of course I’d—”

“Alright, Tin Pin Slammers, it’s time to begin!” Without a mic or speaker system, the lead organizer had to work a lot to raise his voice over the crowd, and he had just enough projection to be audible over the rest of the shop. Most of the ruckus quieted down to excited murmurs and the occasional unrestrained shout from a worked up kid. The organizer smiled. “Welcome to Stride for our first-ever Tin Pin tournament!” There was an array of applause and whoops from the crowd, and the organizer smiled a bit wider before raising his hands to quell the crowd. “We’re super impressed by this turnout; it’s way more than we expected. So before we get into the main competition, we’re going to do some mini group matches to narrow down who will move on to the… _TOURNAMENT BRACKEEEET!_ ” He gestured to the whiteboard behind him, sending up the crowd in another frenzy, and Chou was certain that she’d seen one of the redheaded kids leap into the air with a cheer. “Alright, we’re going to start pulling names, so when you hear yours, move to the Slammurai Stadium in the middle here. If you don’t come within three minutes, you forfeit your spot. First up is…!”

Chou halfway considered just not participating to save herself the embarrassment, but she was sure at least Hasekitsu would call her out on it. Nifuji was the first of their group to participate, and, while he seemed to be uncertain about how to best use some of his new pin stock, he pulled off a victory. Tenho was in the next group, and he had the performance of an obvious novice that Chou would have felt bad not at least giving her round a shot. She lost, just as expected, and to a spiky brown-haired kid who had to still be in elementary school, but at least she’d tried.

Hotaru, on the other hand, was a different story. The switch in her that had flipped upon seeing Hasekitsu’s pin collection was still on, and she zoned in on the battlefield with an unnecessary intensity that easily net her passage onto the bracket. Hasekitsu made it as well, but his victory was more from letting the other players whittle each other down before he swooped in from the sidelines to take advantage of the aftermath.

It was three of them through, if nothing else, and with sixteen participants on the bracket, having almost a fourth of them Players was probably as strong as a position that they were going to be in to make it through this Mission alive. It wasn’t long before Hotaru’s first round match came up, and Chou gave her an encouraging smile from across the room. “You’ve got this, Nee-chan!”

“Hm, I think I’d agree with you. Hotaru-chan’s almost a completely different person when she’s playing, now isn’t she?”

 _Ah, damn,_ Chou thought, _there goes the hope that Kiryu got offed yesterday._

* * *

Hotaru was hunched over the Tin Pin controls, waiting for her opponent to get their next pin on the board. She’d already made it to the second tournament round following the qualifying heats, and she tried to keep her mind sharp. Her turquoise pin was steady, ready to move at the slightest moment. While it would have been tempting to wait close to the launch point and stun with a whammy, the opposing Player had already seen through the trick once, and Hotaru wasn’t willing to lose her own pin in the process.

_Rushing in doesn’t do any good. Breathe._

Though it was just a casual local tournament and the rules weren’t all that strict, the other Player still launched their pin within the required time and got to work on leaving a purple trail streaking after them. Hotaru leaned into the controls ever so slightly, dodging out of the way of the immediate blow and inching her way towards the edge of the board.

Most people tended to focus on the quickest way to push the opponent off the edge. Whenever necessary, Hotaru took advantage of that tendency and focused on control, baiting the opponent into coming after her and then getting the heck out of the way, earning herself victory by having the enemy launch themselves right off the playing field. That meant her deck tended to lean towards lightweight pins that could move quickly and were at a disadvantage in a head-on collision, but there were no rules that said all your pins had to be the exact same.

For her current opponent, it didn’t matter, though, as they took the bait. Hotaru feinted like she was about to activate a whammy, then spun out of the way, just skirting the edge of the table. Her opponent gave a surprised shout, but, by the time they tried to yank back on the controls, momentum and gravity were both doing their jobs, and the match was over with.

“And that’s another victory for participant Hotaru, moving her on to the semi-finals!” said the MC, but Hotaru was only half listening to his assessment. She gave her opponent a quick bow along with a “Thanks for the game” before collecting her pins and vacating her spot by the controls. She was doing alright—somehow Tin Pin was one of those things that could make even crowds fade away—but being at the center of attention for longer than necessary wasn’t high up on her list of things to do.

 _Just two more rounds of this, and then we’ll be home free,_ she thought, glancing at the Timer on her palm before quickly closing her fist. If the Reaper Sigils on stores made Players visible to the RG, she didn’t want to know if that included what must have looked like an ever-changing tattoo on her palm. Already, the next round was beginning, and the crowd made appropriate reactions to the MC’s play-by-play.

It didn’t take too much time to find Chou, as leaning up against a wall to watch over what was going on was a frequent enough tendency of Chou’s to be called a habit; if it didn’t involve music in some way, she was mostly content to be on the sidelines. Hotaru waded through the crowd towards her twin, and it was only by the time she’d basically arrived there that she noticed Chou wasn’t alone.

“Ah, if it isn’t Hotaru-chan herself. You’ve got quite an unexpected vigor for Tin Pin, don’t you?”

Hotaru immediately flushed, though she couldn’t tell if it was because of Yoshiya’s words or just his sheer presence. “N-no, really, it’s not like that, I just, for the Mission…”

“Mmhmm. Whatever you say, dear.”

“Oi, asshole, who do you think you’re getting friendly with?” If Chou hadn’t looked disgruntled before, the emotion was plain on her face now. Hotaru wasn’t necessarily _surprised_ —this, too, was one of Chou’s habits—but it still wasn’t always enjoyable to bear witness to. “You’ve hardly interacted for more than a few hours. You can’t go and talk to Nee-chan like that.”

Yoshiya raised a delicate eyebrow and held a finger to his chin. “I’m just trying to make it easier to be sure of who I’m talking to. I don’t hear Hotaru-chan complaining about it.” _Complain_ wasn’t quite the right word for Hotaru’s reaction, but embarrassment tended to override turning anything else into action. “Besides, we’re all in this Game together, aren’t we? Not many bonds run deeper than scrambling to survive, don’t you think, Chou-chan?”

Chou looked well on her way to popping a blood vessel and quite possibly the eardrums of everyone in the immediate radius from the volume she was about to put into her next words, but Hotaru waved her arms. “It’s really not a big deal, Nee-chan. Yoshiya-san’s right; there’s no sense being picky about these things whenever there’s much bigger stakes to focus on.” Though it was a bit hard to feel the gravity of those stakes when they were crammed into a game shop playing Tin Pin on what could have been just an ordinary summer afternoon.

Considering that Chou chose to exhale rather than contributing her lungpower into a shout, Hotaru considered the intervention a victory. “Fine. But don’t expect me to get along with His Royal Pretentiousness over here.”

“Oh, Chou-chan, you think I’m fit enough to be royalty? I’m flattered—”

“Kiryu, I swear if you don’t stop talking, I’m going to make you wish you’d permanently died the first time—”

“Well!” Hotaru said, trying her best to cut off the bickering before it got started. Chou looked at the end of her patience, while Yoshiya had enough of a smirk starting to melt onto his features that Hotaru could tell he was content with egging her on for the fun of it—a combination destined for disaster. Hotaru’s mind scrambled for a safe redirection of the conversation, her mind feeling as messy as one of her rough drafts of poetry. “I’m sure there’s probably something you two have in common,” _or at least can talk about safely._ “Oh, Y-Yoshiya-san, did you know that Nee-chan writes her own music? She’s really cool; I can’t wrap my head around something like that at all.”

It was the easiest possible diversion: get Chou to talk about her interests, especially one that she and Yoshiya had in common. Chou seemed mollified by the praise, and even Yoshiya’s voice wasn’t nearly as sarcastic as usual as he said, “Is that so? You could say I’m something of a composer myself.”

 _Composer._ The word seemed just right for him in a way Hotaru hadn’t been fully expecting. She wondered how it would fit into a verse of poetry, and she tucked it into the corner of her mind that was holding the melody from two days before. Even Chou looked dully impressed, though she was trying pretty hard not to let it show on her face. Hotaru could see the spark in Chou’s eyes upon recognizing a fellow artist.

Chou let out a chuckle. “Any chance you happen to know how to write anything that isn’t pretentious?”

Yoshiya only returned the jab with a smirk. “I think you’d be surprised by what I can come up with.”

Hotaru smiled at the lightened atmosphere, glad to divert a potential argument from breaking out. They were so close to the end; just a bit more until they figured out who was going to get their second chance or not. If possible, Hotaru didn’t want any more people to miss out just because they didn’t survive, and building up good relationships between the Players seemed like a good way to have everyone watch out for each other.

“And with that great show of Slammanship, that leads us into the semi-finals! Just a bit more until we see who’s your Stride Tin Pin champion. Let’s get our top four contenders up here before we get moving—”

“Sounds like your cue, Hotaru-chan,” Yoshiya said, giving her a wave. “Go out there and have fun. Chou-chan and I will be just fine over here. I’m sure we’re about to have an interesting discussion.”

“R-right!” If Hotaru dawdled any longer, the nerves would catch up to her, and she didn’t need that. What she needed was focus and an opponent she could handle across her at the table. “I’ll do my best to win this thing, so you guys just hang tight.” _I gotta give my best—for my family, and the rest of the Players in the Game._

And with that little resolve bolstering her heart, Hotaru went to join the other top four contestants in the tournament.

“If you think that I’m going to play nice with you, then you’ve got another thing coming.”

* * *

Chou didn’t waste any time in cutting to the chase; it wouldn’t take Hotaru too long to clear out her next match. The kid facing her definitely looked obsessed with Tin Pin based on his get-up that almost matched the anime’s protagonist, but he was still short enough that he almost couldn’t reach the table. He may put up a fight, but Hotaru could school brats like him without even breaking a sweat—even if she didn’t realize it.

Watching the Tin Pin matchup from afar, Kiryu didn’t look the slightest bit concerned by Chou’s rudeness. “Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting that much courtesy,” he said, shrugging. Chou didn’t bother to feel concerned, seeing as she wasn’t really trying to hide her animosity. “Though I will say I’m not so sure what’s got you so worked up about me. I’m in the same situation you are, you know.”

He made a fair point, and that only served to agitate Chou more. She didn’t like how familiar Kiryu was with Hotaru, but he wasn’t the first person to earn Chou’s ire for that feat. There were two main differences between Kiryu and the others that came before him, though, the first being that he hadn’t backed down, even when called out.

The second being that not many people had been on the receiving end of Chou’s anger within twenty-four hours of losing Suzu.

Chou knew Hotaru would scold her, and Suzu might even make a remark about Chou’s tendency to turn other people into venting points for her internal feelings. But Chou was also all out of patience, and she wasn’t about to give any leeway to someone who had no sense of manners and also had a statistically high chance of not even surviving the week.

“You can be in the same situation all you want,” Chou said, though it wasn’t a matter of choice by any means, “but if you mess with Nee-chan, I’ll have no problem feeding you to the Noise.”

Kiryu giggled, taking the time to look at Chou with the express purpose of giving her another of those infuriating smirks. “Your irritation is adorable but noted. Though I’d really like to see you try. Think you could get away with it?”

“Those are some tough words for someone who came in without a Partner,” Hasekitsu said, easily parting enough of the crowd thanks to his height. Having been distracted by talking with Hotaru, Chou hadn’t even noticed how Hasekitsu was doing in the tournament, though a quick glance at the white board bracket indicated that he’d lost to Nifuji. “I noticed you wander in on your own. Not a lot of people have the guts to play solo, let alone make it this far.”

Not so much as balking at Hasekitsu’s sudden appearance, Kiryu let out another of his infuriating laughs. “Close, but not quite. My Partner’s not a big fan of crowds, so I decided to leave them somewhere safe and came on my own. Quite the nasty Entry Fee, you see; we’ve mostly survived on luck so far. Though I did end up showing up too late for registration…not that I really have much interest in playing Tin Pin anyways.”

Chou opened and shut her mouth once, twice, before she could manage to get the words out. “You just _left_ your Partner behind? What if they get attacked? What about _you_?” The Mission two days ago had already proven getting too far away from your Partner made it near impossible to summon your Psyches. Intentionally separating was basically walking into a death sentence.

“Aw, Chou-chan, I didn’t realize you cared so much—”

“Dream on, asswipe! I’d just feel sorry if your Partner got Erased, too, because you were feeling like a reckless little twit.” Chou’d been lucky that Hasekitsu had shown up to help and made it possible for her to Pact with Hotaru, otherwise she wouldn’t have made it. No matter how you looked at the situation, a loss of one Player would end up as a loss for two.

“Hm, however you choose to play ain’t any of my business,” Hasekitsu said with a shrug. _Don’t encourage Kiryu, please._ “Though it’s a shame you missed out on entering. I like a little tension as much as the next guy, but it wouldn’t’ve hurt to have another Player in the tournament pull to increase our chances.”

Chou was almost impressed at just how many different ways Kiryu had figured out how to smirk. Did the guy even know how to give a normal smile? “I suppose, but I wouldn’t have done you much good, I assure you.” There was the sound of a pin colliding with the floor, and a smattering of applause and cheers washed over the room as the match came to a close. “It seems like Hotaru-chan’s got it covered, though.”

Sure enough, Hotaru had emerged as the victor, leaving her elementary school opponent in awe. He dogged after Hotaru in pursuit of a conversation (or possibly demanding a rematch), but the MC managed to calm the kid down and move onto the other semi-final match, with Nifuji stepping up to the table.

Chou clenched her hands into determined fists. If Nifuji made it through to the finals, then they’d have a guaranteed Player victory, and the Mission would be in the bag. After that, there was only one more day, and the damn Game would be over. “You’ve got this, Nifuji-san.”

“You’re getting unexpectedly into this,” Kiryu said.

“Of course I am!” Chou said, enjoying the snap in her voice. “You do realize this is a Mission, right? I’d rather not get Erased over something as dumb as—as some stupid game of Tin Pin!” Sure, she had faith in Hotaru’s skill, but there was still the chance she and Nifuji could lose. _And that would be the stupidest way to exit existence ever._

Kiryu’s nonchalant shrug was just asking for a punch to the face. “Well, you getting worked up on the sidelines won’t change anything, now will it? At this point, we might as well sit back and enjoy the show.” _Damn, how I hate it when you’re right._

“Look on the bright side, Tsukiko-kun. I hear that Erasure for failing to complete a Mission is a lot less painful than having the Noise tear you to shreds.” Only Hasekitsu could manage to grin while saying something like that. Considering the number of Players they had left, it was almost a miracle they’d managed to survive as long as they had. “Ah, looks like there’s no need to worry, though. Nifuji-kun’s made it through.” He glanced at his palm, where the Timer was still ticking down. “At this point, we’ve just gotta declare a winner as a matter of formality, and it’s on to Day Seven for us.”

 _Day Seven. End of the line._ Exhaling, Chou tried to get her thoughts together. Only one more day of running around for their lives. One more day of putting up with Daikoku’s bullshit.

 _One more day until we get to go_ home.

Not wanting to think of any other possibility, Chou got ready to watch Hotaru and Nifuji face off in the Stride Tin Pin Tournament finals.

* * *

Standing across from Nifuji at the Tin Pin table, Hotaru felt relieved and flustered all at once.

The relief was simple: with two Players in the final round, it didn’t matter which one of them won. Hotaru had watched a few of Nifuji’s matches, and he was good. He had a good sense of control and could pull off tricky angles, letting him dance around the opponent. It was, overall, a bad matchup for Hotaru’s style, which Nifuji must’ve had the opportunity to observe, too. At least, if she lost, it wouldn’t spell complete doom for all the Players.

Feeling flustered was a different matter. Hotaru was well aware that she got too worked up over Tin Pin—something about the game just brought out a competitive edge she didn’t give to anything else. Playing against kids who were enthusiastic about the game and likely wouldn’t remember her in the future was one thing. Going up against someone within her age range and who she’d been talking with for a few days felt like a whole other matter.

_Maybe if I forfeit before I embarrass myself, we can just end this and not worry about it…_

Hotaru opened her mouth to do just that, but Nifuji had already raised his phone screen first. [Let’s do this, Tsukiko. I’ve been itching to face you since I saw how you played, so let’s have a good match. One on one!]

While Tin Pin allowed you to have up to six pins in your deck, it wasn’t uncommon for someone to have an unfair advantage just because they had more ammunition to play with. On the other hand, not a lot of people went for a one vs. one approach, because a poor matchup of pins could easily lead to a game being over in a few seconds. Two vs. two was usually the minimum—but Nifuji was setting the rest of their deck aside and only picking out one for the game.

 _I guess this way we shouldn’t take too long to play so we don’t have to worry about the Mission, but we can still have a face-off based on skill._ Hotaru thumbed through her pins, considering her options. She gave her fellow Player a smile. _Alright, Nifuji-san. I accept your challenge!_

“What’s this?” the MC said, having gotten a chance to look at Nifuji’s phone. “It looks like our semi-finalists have agreed to a one pin vs. one pin match! Given the moves that these two have shown off so far, it looks like things are boiling down to a matter of pure Tin Pin skill! Alright, if both contestants are ready, let’s go ahead and get things started. Alright everyone, it’s time for a countdown!”

The crowd drew in a collective breath, using the MC’s raised fingers as a guide.

“ _Three!_ ”

Hotaru wiped her hands and gripped the controls letting out a breath of her own.

“ _Two!_ ”

Nifuji also got into position, waiting for the moment the game would start.

“ _One!_ ”

“Slam on!” Hotaru shouted for the both of them, and then their pins were on the board. Hotaru didn’t even have enough time to tell which of Nifuji’s deck he had chosen, as he launched into an offensive right off the bat, transforming his pin into a blur of color. It was an obvious move, so Hotaru didn’t have any difficulty dodging it, but she had to keep alert; the last thing she needed was to end up corralled in a corner exactly where Nifuji wanted her.

Though the MC was narrating the match for those farther away from the table and the crowd was letting out a series of boisterous reactions, Hotaru barely registered any of it. The board took up most of her focus, the rest of the world melting away until all she could pay attention to was the movements of their pins—it was all she could _afford_ to look at. While Nifuji didn’t give a nonstop assault that could batter her pin down, he was doing just enough and at the right angles that Hotaru couldn’t lure him into easily toppling off the edge without risking doing the same herself.

The victor may have been irrelevant as far as things went in regards to the Mission and their survival, but Nifuji had asked for a match, and Hotaru wasn’t about to back down.

As in the zone as she was, Hotaru still could feel the minutes start to trickle past. While you could theoretically have a match Time Out, that sort of setup didn’t work as well in a one on one match, where there wouldn’t be any previous ring outs to help determine the victor via score—and she was pretty sure the tournament setup wasn’t about to end on a tie. _Which means one of us is going to need to knock the other out to win this—there!_

Nifuji had tried to dip in a curve to avoid Hotaru’s latest attack, and, while he had avoided the brunt of the collision, his pin was still at just the right angle. Hotaru’s pin slipped in, turquoise colliding with rainbow for just enough force to send it hurtling towards the edge. Nifuji sucked in a toneless breath, trying to reverse the momentum but not having much success. Hotaru didn’t dare let go of the controls, just in case she needed to dodge a counterattack, but, even without knowing Nifuji’s pin’s stats, she felt sure—

Almost halfway off the edge of the table, Nifuji managed to keep his pin under control. Hotaru waited to see what direction he would go to next, so she could put herself in an optimal position, but Nifuji’s hand pressed down on a button on the side of the console, setting off the swing of a hammer that was just long enough to reach Hotaru’s position—and fast enough to strike before Hotaru could rush out of the way.

Instinct let Hotaru’s fingers reach her own buttons on the side of the console. Hitting the wrong one would make her prone to getting stunned—and even hitting the right one just a few seconds later could spell disaster. Luckily, Hotaru managed to get her pin airborne for a bomber, and she choose her position. There weren’t many advantageous spots with how close to the edge of the table Nifuji was, and if he let off a stinger in response, she’d be the one toppling off the edge. Either way, it would make for an excellent finale.

Her target chosen, Hotaru shut her eyes, waited for the impact, and then pushed the controls in what had been Nifuji’s direction, not knowing whether her pin was able to receive the signals or not.

 _Someone’s_ pin hit the ground, and Hotaru peeked through her eyelashes. Somehow, her pin was left on the table, though it looked ready to slip off the edge any second. Nifuji snagged it before it could complete its tumble. He passed it back to Hotaru with a smile and a quick message on his phone. [Good game, Tsukiko. Thanks for playing me.]

Hotaru smiled herself and dipped her head into a bow. “Thanks for the game!”

“And with that, we have our victor of the first ever Stride Tin Pin Tournament, Tsukiko Hotaru!” The MC raised Hotaru’s arm in a victory pose, and she once again became aware of just how many people were looking at her. _Maybe it would have been better if I let Nifuji-san win after all…_ The next several minutes were a blur of activity, with a post-tournament interview (the MC seemed to realize Hotaru was floundering and let her off easy) as well as Hotaru obtaining a customizable pin launcher as a prize, with Nifuji getting a small set of pins as the runner up. Many people who’d come for the tournament had started to file out the door, but a few lingered, taking over the Tin Pin tables for themselves or setting up other games in the back room.

The biggest relief was that the Timers _had_ disappeared, meaning that the Mission was a success. Finally free from the event staff, Hotaru worked her way back to where Chou had been, finding Hasekitsu already there. She looked for Yoshiya, but he didn’t seem to be anywhere close by. Instead, the café owner from the other day— _Hanekoma-san, that’s it!_ —had joined their number, and he flashed a grin as Hotaru and Nifuji approached.

“Ah, there’s Firefly and Mt. Fuji,” he said, the nickname leaving Hotaru to just nod in greeting. With the rush of the Game over, the song she’d been thinking of had wandered back into her mind, though the melody seemed somewhat different. Hanekoma-san inclined his head towards their Partners. “Like I was tellin’ ol’ ‘Kitsu and Butterfly Girl over here, I just wanted to swing by to see how you’re doing. We’re almost at the end of the road, here, so just a little bit more until you’re done. I gotta say, though. You put on a pretty intense showing out there, kiddo. That’s the kinda guts it takes to survive up to Day Six.”

Under any other circumstances, Hotaru would have flushed red, maybe managed to mumble out a protest. But those usual thoughts were gone from her mind, instead replaced by the trails of a melody snaking through her mind. And so, when Hotaru opened her mouth to _try_ and say something relevant to the conversation, what came out was instead the first word that the song playing in her mind fed to her:

“Producer.”

* * *

**[One Day Left]**

* * *

* * *

The Sixth Day Bonus Episode

“Brew & Disinterest”

* * *

“Well, well, well, I wasn’t expecting you to stop by, Boss. What can I do ya for?”

Sanae put on his best smile, for whatever good it would do. In response, Joshua looked…listless to put a word on it, and Sanae hadn’t seen _that_ change in quite some time. Not when he was being genuine anyways. Whenever Josh wanted to fake things, that was a whole other matter.

The self-satisfied smugness that slipped over his face a moment later was a prime example of that.

“Well, if you’re willing to take an order from me…” Josh said, settling down into a seat with a flick of his hair. “I’d sure love to know what you were doing playing checkup on me today, Sanae. It’s almost like you think you need to babysit me or something.”

 _Well, it wasn’t like I was trying to be subtle, but…_ Sanae shrugged, deciding to put some coffee on anyways. Depending on Josh’s mood, their little talk could take a while. “Come on, you know it’s well within my role to go ahead and check in on the Players. Who says what I was up to had anything to do with you, Boss?” Josh’s expression twitched into a frown. “Heheh. If you go reacting like that, you’re gonna give me a reason to think I _should’ve_ been babysitting you.”

Josh’s huff was enough to tell he was pouting, even with Sanae’s back turned. “It’s not like there’s any rule that says I can’t go into my own city.”

“That’s true, but most Composers tend not to do that whenever a Game’s going on.” _And you’ve hardly left the Room of Reckoning whatsoever,_ Sanae thought, pulling out some mugs as the coffee started to finish. “I’m not here to scold you or anything. I’m just curious ‘bout what caught your interest enough to make you wanna come out and play, that’s all.” He considered what had happened when he interacted with the remaining Players and decided to take a shot. “I mean, I did happen to hear something intriguing today when I was chatting with Firefly over there.”

Glancing over his shoulder, Sanae caught the slightest bit of interest in Josh’s eyes before the apathy settled back in. “And what might that be, Sanae?”

Sanae poured out a few mugs of the house blend and picked them up, heading for Josh’s table. “I’m pretty sure you’re not going around spilling higher level secrets, and even ol’ ‘Kitsu doesn’t know my position.” Josh didn’t reach out for the coffee, so Sanae set it on the table and took his own seat. “So then, when it comes to Firefly, there’s only a few options for what’s going on with her, and I think you know which one’s most likely.” As the Composer, there wasn’t anyone more connected to Shibuya than Josh, and if the City was responding, then…

“Hotaru-chan, hm?” Josh sighed. “Too bad it’s a bit too late. Even with that in mind, as far as I’m concerned, Shibuya is…” He didn’t need to finish his sentence.

Sanae had the feeling someone like Tsukiko Hotaru wasn’t going to make a difference when Josh’s mind was already made up.


	15. The Seventh Day: “Chance & Choice”

**Muse**

By: Aviantei

[Shibuya Operation – Story Storm]

The Seventh Day:

“Chance & Choice”

* * *

“Rise and shine, Tsukiko-kun. We’re at the endgame now.”

Having Hasekitsu nudging her wasn’t Chou’s preferred wakeup call, but she didn’t have room to complain. Chou took the time to sit up, made sure she wasn’t going to be overly dizzy, and then stood up. Not even a meter away, Nifuji was helping Hotaru to her feet. They’d woken up in the Scramble, which would be the last time if chou had her way. Assuming everything went well, the next morning she and Hotaru would be waking up back home.

_I refuse to imagine any other outcome._

[So it’s the seventh day,] Nifuji said after everyone had exchanged morning greetings. [What can we expect now?]

The question was directed at Hasekitsu, and Chou joined Nifuji in giving the repeat Player an expectant look. Hotaru was still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, but she joined in best she could. Hasekitsu’s grin looked wider and more feral than ever. “Today’s the big finale, so we’ve gotta put that to good use, yeah? That means it’s our opportunity to go and fight the big boss Game Master.”

Though she should have been focusing on what that practically meant for the Mission, Chou couldn’t help but feel a touch of excitement. Getting the opportunity to take out her frustrations on Daikoku was exactly what her vindictiveness had ordered. She punched a fist into the opposite palm. “Well what the hell are we waiting for? Let’s go kick some ass.”

As if it had been waiting for her to say so, the Mission arrived on their phones in a short cacophony of different ring tones. _Final Quest: Complete the grand finale and defeat the Dungeon Master at the Station Underpass for the chance to obtain the ultimate treasure. You have three hours. Erasure awaits those who fail._

[That’s that. We should get moving then.]

“H-hold on!” Hotaru said just before Hasekitsu and Nifuji took off. “It’s just the four of us here. What about Yoshiya-san and his Partner?”

“Look, I get what you’re saying, Tsukiko-kun,” Hasekitsu said, sounding calm—though his bouncing leg indicated he wanted nothing more than to get a move on, “but I can tell you these Day Seven missions are never just a straight shot. We’re going to need to work our way through at least one stupid Wall or fight before we even get to the GM, and we don’t wanna waste time. Either other Players will catch up, or we’ll see them once we clear this thing. But hanging around in the Scramble isn’t going to do anyone any sort of good.”

Hotaru opened her mouth to protest again, but Chou caught her hand. “Come on, Nee-chan. Kiryu and his Partner have made it this far. He’s too egotistical to just up and die now.” Maybe she could have used a bit more tact, but Hasekitsu was right: they _didn’t_ have the time to worry about this stuff.

It took a few seconds, but Hotaru ultimately nodded, though the worry wasn’t fully gone from her eyes. “Y-you’re right. Let’s go.”

They set off en route towards their destination, pushing their way through the crowds and past the statue of Hachiko. As they tried to get to the station, however, they had an obstacle, and it wasn’t in the form of anything as simple to take care of as a Wall. The Copycat Reaper had taken up sentry right in the middle of the road, and Chou got the feeling that avoiding her wasn’t an option.

“Well, look who it is,” she said in the same sing-song tones as usual. “We’ve got ourselves a nice little batch of Players. Down to the four of ya, huh? I at least expected that business casual guy to make it. He had some pretty smart moves.”

Chou felt her blood start to boil at the mere mention of Kano, but Hasekitsu had stepped forward, his eyes darting over Nifuji’s screen. “My Partner’s made quite a good point. We don’t have time to waste on banter. So are we fighting you this time, or are we fighting one of your little pets?”

Copycat shrugged. “As much as I would love to have a little tussle with you myself, I’m afraid the DM likes to handle things by the rulebook. So that means you get to have a taste of _this_!”

The Noise symbol appeared, a massive and hulking thing that Chou hardly got the opportunity to see before she was ripped into battle. What stood before her and Hasekitsu was a huge beast in the tattoo-rendered shape of a blue and red dragon that was easily taller than the two of them combined. Though most Noise were scary in some way, she’d gotten used to most of them. Seeing the creature before her was more than enough to send a fresh shudder of fear throughout her body.

“A Drake, huh?” Hasekitsu said, intertwining his fingers and stretching out his arms. “Been a while since I fought one of these. Tsukiko-kun, you ready to go?”

Remembering that she didn’t have to fight the thing alone did a lot for Chou’s nerves. “I don’t have a choice whether I get to be ready or not!” she called back, getting ready to flex her Psyches.

“Fair enough, fair enough. Then let’s get in our warmup before we take on DnD!”

Having fought enough battles at his side, Chou wasn’t even remotely surprised when Hasekitsu charged straight at the monster. She focused on lying down back cover, first letting out a speaker-amplified shout to stun the thing, and then sending a barrage of projectiles straight into the Drake’s side. It was her first time using the new pins that Hasekitsu had let her borrow in battle, and Chou could tell these ones happened to pack much more of a punch than her previous ones. _Thank fuck Hasekitsu’s a hoarder—whoa!_

While she was doing more damage, the Drake was also much tougher than any of their previous opponents, and it was still able to move to sweep its tail across them both. Chou had enough distance that she was able to dodge, but Hasekitsu was closer, and he took a much heavier blow. He was back up a few beats later, though, already dropping down rocks from the sky in an attempt to restrain the Drake’s movements.

The Noise somewhat slowed down, but Hasekitsu wasn’t doing enough damage on his own. Chou pushed down the fear that was building up in her throat and charged forward to add in some punches. The combined assault helped with restraining the Drake, though all it would take was one little slip-up on their part would be all it took to put them both in immediate range of a counterattack. Hasekitsu’s ice spears caught the Drake from below, lifting it into the air, and Chou pressed the advantage.

_Thousand Needles!_

The new addition to her pin deck had come from Hasekitsu’s stash, and Chou felt a satisfying rush as hundreds of small and pointy projectiles converged on the enemy Noise. While such small weapons normally wouldn’t have stood a chance against a dragon, the Psych reinforced blows were plenty to add to the damage dealt. Chou allowed herself one moment to smirk at the effectiveness of the new ability, and she almost missed the oncoming buildup of fire in the Drake’s maw.

The flames looked just as made of tattoos and graffiti as the Noise did, but that didn’t stop them from burning like hell. Chou choked out as much of a scream as possible with pure burning heat invading her throat. The Drake couldn’t keep up the attack forever, but the damage it did cause was immense. Even Hasekitsu looked rather worse for wear, but he activated a healing psyche, downed the can that materialized, and kept going.

Hotaru must have done the same on the opposite end of the Noise Plane, because Chou experienced feeling melting back into her nerve endings not too long after. She gritted her teeth, got back on her feet, and rushed forward to knock the Noise back before it could take another sweep at Hasekitsu with its tail.

“Like we have time to waste on crappy opponents like you!”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, Tsukiko-kun!”

The shout was more than enough to stun the dragon, and Hasekitsu lifted up a nearby truck to launch at the Drake at the same time Chou unleashed her needle Psyche once more. With Hotaru and Nifuji presumably also attacking from the other side, that final assault was all it took to erase the Noise and bring them back to the UG.

Chou didn’t even bother to look for the Copycat Reaper, instead focusing on the rest of the collected Players. “Let’s get a move on before someone else tries to be a stupid roadblock. Come on, Nee-chan!”

Hotaru looked a bit winded but quickly matched Chou’s pace. “R-right!”

_Once we’re done kicking Daikoku’s ass, I’m not going to run for as long as I can help it. All this rushing around is pissing me off. I’m tired of living life under a time limit._

The shadows of the Station Underpass spread a heavenly coolness over Chou’s sweat-slicked skin, but there wasn’t much time to rest. Daikoku had set the place as the stage for their final battle, so the GM had to be somewhere nearby. Hotaru was staring down the opposite end of the underpass, her gaze half-focused, half-glazed. Chou grabbed onto her sister’s hand. “You alright, Nee-chan? We’re almost home free.”

Hotaru shook her head out. “S-sorry. I promise I’m fine.” Chou could have argued against that statement—like either of them couldn’t tell when the other twin was thinking about something else—but it wouldn’t have done too much good. Not a lot of people would have guessed it, but Hotaru could be damn stubborn when she wanted to be. “Like you said, we’re almost done. Once we survive this…”

“Well, assuming you do survive this.” As few in number as they had been, Chou had heard Daikoku’s voice more than enough times to recognize it echoing against the Underpass’s walls. He emerged into blue with a flourish of his cape and a flick of his bright blue hair. “I mean, I’m obviously all for dramatic victories, but I’m not a big fan of losing. Dungeon Master pride and all that.”

“What a coincidence,” Hasekitsu said, his whole expression lit up at the prospect of the fight to come, “I like to play to win, too. And since I haven’t quite gotten quite enough kicks out of this little Game of yours, I’m going to have to put up a fight.” Chou didn’t bother to say anything more, just added her glare to the conversation. Daikoku could understand how she felt through some one-on-one time with her fists.

The Game Master shrugged. “Too bad we couldn’t recruit you for our side. You would have made a fun piece to include. But no sense talking about the post-game if you haven’t even beaten the final boss yet.”

Nifuji stepped forward, his expression set. [Then let’s go ahead and fight. Unless you’re stalling for time because you think we’re going to beat you.]

Daikoku’s easygoing smile shifted into a smirk. “If you insist.”

With a few deft movements, he had undone the golden fastenings around his neck, letting his cloak whip free in the stirring wind. Skeletal wings sprouted from his back, stretching wide before they started to grow larger, Daikoku Masato’s entire form starting to shift into something much bigger than it looked like the Station Underpass could handle.

The last battle of the Reaper’s Game had begun.

* * *

Hotaru’s ears felt as if they were filled to the brim with pure sound. The song in her mind had been growing ever larger since they started the day, and it had only increased in volume. Now in front of the transformed Game Master, Hotaru felt as if she were standing directly next to a speaker at one of the concerts Chou would occasionally take her to.

When facing the earlier dragon Noise, Hotaru had felt intimidated. That Noise had nothing on what she faced now. Daikoku’s unrestrained power sent an overwhelming pressure over the area, and his shape had grown to that of a five-headed western dragon with scales of a bright blue and the occasional accent of red along his body. Daikoku could focus a head on each of them and still have plenty of leeway.

_Draco Cantus._

The dragon drew in a breath. “Now then. Let’s see how lucky you Players are.”

Something crashed into the ground, sending a massive vibration like an earthquake through the Underpass. Hotaru managed not to fall over, but she couldn’t do much to move, either. By the time Hotaru got her wits about her to try and cast a Psyche, she found her joints locked into place.

_I can’t move?!_

She tried to look around to see if the others were in the same position—but then she realized that she was the only one around. The other had to be up against the Noise, too, she could _feel_ them in the same way she felt Chou on the opposite end of the Noise Plane whenever they went into battle. Daikoku must have been powerful enough to split them up even further than usual, making coordination near impossible. Up against someone like the Game Master, who far outclassed any of the Reapers they had battled so far, that lack of teamwork could be deadly.

_No, trust your Partner. I trust Nee-chan, and I trust Nifuji-san and Hasekitsu-san. We’ve made it this far. I… I don’t want to lose!_

“Initiative set,” said Daikoku, his voice warped, “And I have the first set of attacks. Let’s see how well you all can survive.”

The dragon head on the far right was the first to move, and it dove straight for Hotaru. The odd paralysis in her limbs had faded, and Hotaru was just able to slip out of the way of the strike—though she did get a far-too-close view of watching Daikoku’s massive teeth tear into the tiled floor as if it were nothing more than a dessert. The second assault by the middle head, on the other hand, managed to hit home, striking with a massive force that send Hotaru rolling across the ground. She used that momentum to her advantage, spinning out of the way of the next blow. When she tried to fire off an attack, her lighting went wide, crashing into the ceiling instead of her intended target.

Daikoku didn’t even hesitate to follow up on the opening, two sets of jaws lashing out and catching Hotaru between them. A whimper spilled out of her throat, but she managed to concentrate enough in desperation to summon a pyre of flames that scorched her opponent and set her free long enough to use a quick healing Psyche before preparing for whatever was about to come next.

One of the heads let out a great roar and slumped over, looking almost as if it had fallen asleep in the middle of battle—or if someone else had knocked it out. Hotaru felt a rush of relief for all of five seconds—until the head closest to it also let out a roar, the fallen head resurrecting in the green glow of a psyche. The heads could resurrect each other, which meant that they could end up in a never-ending loop of fighting, either falling by sheer attrition or by expiring their time limit.

_No, don’t think like that. If we keep hammering them, we catch Daikoku off guard and make our way through this!_

Concentrating her aim, sent off another Lightning Rook, her aim holding true and blasting into the newly resurrected head and the one that had healed it. Watching another head slump before rising again, Hotaru summoned a fresh vortex of flames and concentrated on the head to her far right. She pushed the Psyche as far as she could—until she caught the sight of static starting to leak from its scales and backed up. She wasn’t sure if the others would notice, but if they could all hold off and maybe coordinate—

The head that she spared snapped back at Hotaru, breathing a steady stream of azure blue flames onto the battlefield. Hotaru was lucky enough to dodge the first set of jaws that came after her, but not the second. She tried to retaliate by summoning a fresh attack, but getting launched across the underpass didn’t do too many favors for her concentration, and the fire died out before it could become an eruption. Her vision started to go blurry, and the shapes of the others started to take place on the battlefield, even though they were in separate planes.

 _No,_ Hotaru realized after she tried to blink the afterimages from her eyes, _I can see them_. They were still separated across the Noise plane, sure, but what she was looking at _were_ the shapes of the other Players. Nifuji and Hasekitsu weren’t having much luck with getting their attacks to land, especially since the remainder of Daikoku’s heads were running interference, trying to trigger a resurrection to refresh their strength. Chou was trying to launch a fresh attack, but she, too flew across the room on the receiving end of a headbutt. She landed next to Hotaru, cursing, their bodies close in everything but plane of existence.

“Nee-chan,” Hotaru said. Chou didn’t look up at her voice, unable to see or hear her twin. Hotaru reached out for Chou’s hand anyways, letting the familiar contact soothe her for a moment before standing up and shooting off a magma plume beneath one of the heads that was still in relatively good shape. Since she hadn’t had much of a chance to use the pin since she got it from Hasekitsu, Hotaru had overestimated the power she’d need to damage Draco Cantus without fatally injuring the head, and she bit the inside of her cheek in frustration for overdoing it.

Chihiro and Hasekitsu managed to make their next moves in neat synchronization, a series of punches and the crash of a meteor targeting the head furthest on the left with enough force to stun it, too, down to the wire. Daikoku roared again, preparing to set off another round of resurrection, and Hotaru scrambled to try and cast a Psyche before—

“Oh, like hell am I putting up with any more of this bullshit,” Chou said, her voice echoing across the battlefield. Hotaru looked back to her sister: her tights torn, wounds leaking static everywhere, one pigtail free from its hair tie. In her hand was a pin, white glow pulsing between her clenched fingers, and Hotaru could feel the psyche reach out all the way to her, asking for the second half to complete it. “Just go down when we put you down and don’t be such a sore loser!

_“Nee-chan, let’s show ‘em what we’ve got!”_

_“This is so we can make it home!”_

The last time she’d been around a Fusion, Hasekitsu and Nifuji had been the ones executing it—and, even then, their collective power had brought such an intense darkness over the world it wasn’t like Hotaru had much of a way to describe it. But when it came to sharing the moment with Chou, everything was different. The energy streamed between them, their own song overpowering the ever-pressing melody that had been echoing through Hotaru’s mind.

The whole world shifted from orange to yellow, and Chou spread out her arms. Thousands of millions of needles covered the ground and Draco Cantus, like an unending swarm of angry wasps. The silver points sparkled in the light—until Hotaru put a full charge of electricity into the attack, the sheer brightness almost too much for her to look at as a deadly voltage coursed through every little lightning rod Chou had set the playing field with.

The massive form of Draco Cantus shook from the attack, its large body writhing until it shifted to an afterimage of static in the shape of a dragon before the entire thing exploded. In the midst of that sound, Hotaru could have sworn she heard Daikoku’s chuckle.

“Now that’s…what I call a game…worth playing…”

The willpower that had been keeping Hotaru upright melted straight out of her body, and she fell towards the ground—and she bumped right into Chou in the process, who was doing the same thing. Though they no longer had the injuries from the fight, adrenaline could only do so much to keep the weariness away from them. Somewhere in the middle of sinking to the tiled floor together, Hotaru and Chou’s hands came together.

They’d made it.

They’d completed the final Mission.

_We survived._

Before, a week had seemed like no time at all, just an ordinary span of seven days. It was still hard to believe how much had happened, while at the same time it had seemed like an eternity. But despite everything they’d faced and how much they’d lost, they’d made it all the way to the end. All that was left was to go home.

“Not bad, not bad. Been a while since I’ve seen a couple of newbies take down the GM like that. Usually that falls to me.” Hasekitsu had made his way to stand nearby, his tall height seeming even more like a skyscraper from Hotaru’s place on the ground. “It’s a shame we gotta cycle out the management each time, though. I would’ve liked to have a one-on-one with him at some point.”

Nifuji shook his head, then directed his phone screen to the twins. [You two did do great, though. I’m glad you managed to pull off that Fusion when you did. I was worried we were going to have to wear him down all over again.]

Chou raised an eyebrow. “Says the duo who went ahead and took down another head even though it could have just come back a bit later.”

Hasekitsu pulled a pin from his pocket and flipped it like a coin. “That’s what we call a preventative measure, Tsukiko-kun. If we hadn’t weakened that one for ya, I dunno if your grand finale could have finished it off.”

“I’m just glad that it’s over with,” Hotaru said. She’d had enough of running for her life—of being so close to watching people disappear right in front of her eyes. She wanted time to put distance between her and the events, so they could rip at her heart as much as they could now. “Hasekitsu-san, what happens next? We’ve beaten the Game, so…”

“So then next is the closing ceremonies. Which should happen in about three, two, one…”

And just in time with Hasekitsu’s countdown, the whole world went white.

* * *

No matter how much Chou tried to blink her eyes, everything stayed unbearably bright. Sure, she got the impression that there were some structures in the distance, and the ground beneath her was a concrete gray, but everything looked as if someone had cranked the saturation on a photograph up to eleven, blurring out the immediate background and making everything a damn eyesore.

The good news was that she and Hotaru had pretty much landed beside each other, almost in the same position as before, save for being on their feet. Hasekitsu and Nifuji were nearby as well, and it looked as if it were just the four of them in the room.

No, that was wrong.

He emerged from the light like a few slithering strokes of a paintbrush: a tall man with washed-out and nearly gray skin, dark hair to his shoulders, and large sunglasses sitting over his eyes. Even his suit was dark, though it shimmered in a pattern not unlike snakeskin, the jacket resting over a white button up. The only thing really giving his ensemble a real pop of color was the cherry red headphones hanging around his neck.

His presence sent a shiver down Chou’s spine, and Hotaru beside her didn’t look much better.

“Hey there, Megs. Nice to see you again,” Hasekitsu said with none of anyone else’s hesitation. Even Nifuji didn’t seem to have the capacity to look exasperated over his Partner’s antics. “Well, everyone. This guy over here is the Conductor. He’s the one that’ll let us know the results of the Game and send us on our merry way.”

 _Conductor, huh?_ Presumably higher up than Daikoku. Chou couldn’t decide if this guy was worth any of her anger over the unfairness of the Reaper’s Game—or if she was willing to spend her energy on him whenever they were so damn close to being over with the whole thing.

“W-wait a minute, please!” Hotaru said, her shoulders shaking. “This shouldn’t be all of us. There’s at least one more Pact left! E-even if they didn’t complete the Mission, the rest of us did, so they should be here, too.”

The Conductor regarded her with an impassive expression. “I don’t know where you got that impression. We as the Reapers observe the Game throughout its entirety. You four have been the only remaining Players since Day Five. A rather persistent bunch, though I shouldn’t be surprised with Hasekitsu Nepuro among you this time.”

Hotaru shook her head. “That’s not right at all! I-I saw them, and the others did, too. Y-Yoshiya-san was talking to us just yesterday, there’s no way—”

“I don’t know what sort of irregularity you experienced, Tsukiko Hotaru, but you’re mistaken—”

“I’m _not_!”

“Nee-chan,” Chou said, reaching out for Hotaru, unused to seeing her act so worked up. It just wasn’t something she did. Chou managed to take hold of Hotaru’s shoulders, turning her twin to face her. “Nee-chan, I know this is weird, but it doesn’t matter. We all saw Kiryu, too, but he’s not as important as getting back home. You said you wanted to survive, and we just need to—”

“It _does_ matter. Yoshiya-san was there, just like we were, he should be able to go home, too.” There were tears welling up in Hotaru’s eyes, spilling down her cheeks. “He—he’s not gone, Nee-chan, I would have been able to _hear_ it—”

“Megumi,” a voice that seemed to come from the room and echo throughout it all at once said, “I’ll handle this one.”

The Conductor looked up, shock seeping into the visible corners of his expression. “Sir. I couldn’t possibly as for You to—”

“It’s fine. You’ve done more than enough. Or are you questioning my judgement?”

 _No way,_ Chou thought as her brain sluggishly picked up on the cadence and tone of the words. _No way, no fucking way. I’m hearing things. I’ve got to be._ After so much stress in one week, it wouldn’t be surprising if she was imagining the sound, because what she thought she was hearing was impossible.

“Of course not,” the Conductor said, his words sounding half like a sigh. “I’ll thank You for the opportunity to allow me to retire from work early this week. Farewell, Players.” And before any of their number could ask for an explanation, the Conductor had slithered back out through the light the exact same way he had slithered in.

And in his place was a new presence.

Chou didn’t know why she’d bothered to feel worried about the Drake, about Daikoku’s Noise form, about the Conductor. The presence before them was much more than all of that combined, and the brightness of the room seemed dim in comparison to the vague impression of a person that was pacing towards the Players, like a hunter approaching its prey.

“Yoshiya-san,” Hotaru said, her soft whisper sounding resigned.

“Oh, you recognize me even like this? I’m a bit impressed.” The voice they’d heard echoing before started to shift in tone, along with the figure’s shape, shifting back into the boyish figure of Kiryu they all recognized. “Ah, and let me also thank you for trying to stand up to Megumi for me, though it wasn’t about to get you anywhere. You really are adorable, Hotaru-chan.”

“You managed to throw me off guard, though,” Hasekitsu said. He was trying to sound as casual as ever, but even Chou could pick up on the faint strain in his words. “I mean, I knew you were suspicious, but I didn’t expect you to end up being someone like the Composer.”

A whimper slipped out of Hotaru’s throat, while Chou clenched her teeth, trying to control her frustration and anger for all of five seconds before she decided it wasn’t even worth it. She turned to Hasekitsu first. “If you knew something was up with him, why the hell didn’t you say anything?”

Hasekitsu raised an eyebrow. “Look, Tsukiko-kun, I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I’m just in the Reaper’s Game because it’s interesting, yeah? I don’t have a problem with unexpected things happening if it means I get to experience something exciting.”

Chou scoffed. Arguing with Hasekitsu wouldn’t do much good, and it wasn’t like he was the one who’d started the whole mess in the first place. Fists clenched tight, she rounded back on Kiryu. “Then what the fuck was your deal? Infiltrate your own damn Game, come and laugh at us as we scrambled for our lives while you had a front row seat, huh?”

“Now, now, Chou-chan,” Kiryu said, flicking some hair out of the way to better show off his smirk. “You’ve already decided you won’t like me. It doesn’t matter what excuse I decide to give; your reaction’s going to be the same. Why don’t we skip over the formalities, hm?”

If that was what Kiryu wanted, it was what he was going to fucking get. Chou rolled her shoulders and got ready to launch a punch, but Nifuji grabbed onto her arm and shook his head. [Don’t be so hasty. If we mess with him, there’s a chance it could nullify our whole Game.] Chou was temped to say screw any sense of logic, but Hotaru was also looking at her, wide-eyed and panicked, so she huffed and let Nifuji reign her in. Satisfied, he directed his next line of text at Kiryu. [So what does your involvement mean for our Reaper’s Game? If you weren’t playing to come back to life, what does that do to the rest of us?]

“Not a bad eye, Chihiro-kun.” Chou blinked, realizing that she’d never heard Nifuji’s full name before. Kiryu began to pace, still as casual as if they were still on the streets of Shibuya instead of in some strange, washed out location in the afterlife. “I’ll admit, my playing around did upset the Processors a bit, but I hardly did anything to impact your success. You four will basically have unaffected results—though I suppose that really only matters to the three of you, since Nepuro-kun is just going to ask for a fresh round to play.”

Hasekitsu nodded. “You know me so well.”

“But wh-what about your Partner?” Hotaru asked, still shaking. “They were with you, so then they—”

“Oh, goodness, has it not occurred to you that I was lying? I mean, you never actually saw me with a Partner, now did you. You’re very trusting, aren’t you, Hotaru-chan?” Kiryu flashed her a look that had enough audacity to be something like a smile, and Chou was starting to regret not just decking him when she had the chance. Hotaru dropped her head, the tips of her ears tinting pink in shame. “But since you’re so worried, there wasn’t ever a Partner in the first place. So, no, I didn’t ruin anyone else’s chance of survival just because I decided to try and give myself a little entertainment.”

Chou felt her anger spike up even further. “Is that what this fucking was for you? Some _entertainment_?”

“I did warn you that you weren’t going to like whatever answer I gave, didn’t I?”

“You’re the one who _made_ this unfair, shitty Game, and you have the gal to say watching people scramble for their _lives_ is fucking entertainment?!”

Kiryu’s violet eyes narrowed into dangerous slits that stopped any further sound from erupting out of Chou’s throat. “You seem to have a lot of opinions on the subject for someone who’s only still around because of my Game. Without it, people like you would have been gone the moment your bodies in the RG expired. Here, they at least have a chance of surviving. Would you rather you and your precious sister not still be here at all?”

Chou grit her teeth but couldn’t retort. If it weren’t for the Reaper’s Game, she wouldn’t have even had the opportunity to come back to life, and neither would Suzu. But with Chou’s Entry Fee, had she ended up killing Hotaru as well? How much of her family’s grief and sorrow was Chou’s fault, just because she’d had the opportunity to join the Reaper’s Game?

Nifuji stepped forward. [No offense, but none of this matters in the long run, does it? We can debate philosophy all we want, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’ve played the Game and won. That means we should get our rewards.]

Kiryu didn’t even bother to look at Nifuji’s phone but responded to the words well enough. “Yes, I’m sure you want your Entry Fee back, don’t you, Chihiro-kun? Well, that’s traditionally taken care of after we announce the final rankings, so let’s see how you all did.” Kiryu shut his eyes for a moment, then opened them once more with the same smug smile. “Nepuro-kun’s going to just want to play again, so no sense in worrying about that. As for the rest of you…

“It looks like congratulations are in order, Hotaru-chan.”

A few beats of silence passed as Chou processed the words. She could have felt a million things in that moment, but the first to make sense to her was relief. _Nee-chan made it. Thank goodness._ So long as at least Hotaru was okay, then it would all be worth it.

“N-no.” Chou almost didn’t recognize Hotaru’s voice. “No, that can’t be right! Everyone else worked just as hard as I did—no, they worked harder!” Hotaru clung onto her pin pouch, her voice steadily escalating in pitch and desperation. “I can’t be the only one, Yoshiya-san; that’s not fair—”

Kiryu held up a hand, silencing Hotaru with one smooth gesture. “This isn’t a Game that’s about who works the hardest, Hotaru-chan. Not that I plan to go around revealing all the details of how it _does_ work to a bunch of Players. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re the one who met the qualifications to return to life. That’s not something everyone can do.”

“B-but… I…”

“As for the rest of you, I’m sure Nepuro-kun’s already told you your options.” Kiryu started counting up on his fingers. “You can join him for another round in the Game. New Entry Fee, new chance to try again and go back to life. You can decide to join up with the Reapers—don’t look so disgusted Chou-chan.” Chou flipped Kiryu the bird. “And, of course, if none of that appeals to you, there’s always Erasure. So long as it’s one of those, then the choice is yours. I can give you a little time to think it through, but I figure you’ve already decided, haven’t you?”

Chou _had_ already decided. It wasn’t a conscious choice, but her mind had been working at the problem ever since Nifuji had mentioned the options. Sure, the ideal was going back home right away, but if that wasn’t an option for the moment— _Well, I’ve lived through this Game once and Hasekitsu’s been at it for several months. It’ll suck, but surely I can make it through one more time._

[No matter what option we take, we get our Entry Fees back?]

“Yes,” Kiryu said, “though if you choose to play again, that return might just be temporary.”

Nifuji’s breath caught in his throat for a moment, and Chou recognized the uncertainty in his posture. “Well, I’m not going to just sit around and work for your fucked up system here,” Chou said, trying to give Nifuji some more time to think things through. Kiryu glanced to her, and even Hasekitsu raised an eyebrow. “I’d rather die as a Player than enable this afterlife shit show.”

“Then me, too!” Hotaru stepped forward again. “Just because I won the right to go back to life doesn’t mean I have to, right? I’ll play as Nee-chan’s Partner one more time.”

Kiryu opened his mouth, but Chou grabbed onto Hotaru’s shoulders first. “Are you out of your _mind_?! Like hell am I going to let you do that, Nee-chan. You _earned_ that. Go back to Mom and Dad. I’ll be able to follow behind you, but I’m not about to let you risk getting Erased again when you don’t have to!”

In most other circumstances, Hotaru would acquiesce to the other party in an argument, but right then and there she squared her shoulders and screwed up her face. “And I’m just supposed to sit there and act like life is normal while you’re running around trying to not die?!” She smacked her fist against Chou’s sternum. “We’re _sisters_ , Chou! _Twins!_ If you think I’m about to leave you alone to deal with this, then you’re—you’re being stupid!”

“Better than being a dumbass who’d give up the chance to go back to life without even knowing if they’d get another shot!”

“I’d rather not have another shot if it means going back alone!”

“You’re being impossible!”

“You’re the one who won’t let me help you!”

“If I may offer another option,” Kiryu said, his mellow tone more than enough to get Chou and Hotaru to step back from being in each other’s faces, “I propose a game.”

Chou sneered. “And what makes you think we’d want anything to do with that?”

“Tell me, Chou-chan, who do you think is the one responsible for bringing successful winners of the Reaper’s Game back to life?”

“The Composer,” Hotaru said.

“Very good. Now, because I’m in charge, that means I get a certain amount of…discretion when it comes to deciding who goes back to life. Of course, I do follow the rules.” Kiryu could say that all he liked, but Chou still felt an unpleasant chill run down her spine. “No sense in having a Game otherwise, but I digress. Since you two are so passionate about this subject, why don’t I let you play to decide which one of you goes back to life?”

Chou and Hotaru might have been bickering a few moments before, but they still both tensed up in unison. Given everything else Kiryu had lied about, Chou wanted to believe that the offer was nothing more than a bluff. However, considering the entertained look on his face, Kiryu was just as likely to set this sort of thing up just to amuse himself with the results.

_Like hell I’m going to let him trap Hotaru here. But she really would fight to stay back and play one more time with me, and I can’t let her do that, either. So, if it’s the only way to get her to go—_

“Interested, hm?” Kiryu asked, though neither of them had said anything. “Well, let’s make this simple, shall we? I already know what you both want out of this little exchange, so…” Kiryu raised a hand, which was empty one moment and had a revolver in it the next. It was the same model Chou had seen some of the Reapers use, but having a gun so close to her was enough to make fear finally break through everything else and race through her body. Hasekitsu whistled from the sidelines, and even Nifuji looked smaller than usual. “I’ll count down from ten, and then I’m going to fire once. Whoever gets hit stays, and whoever’s uninjured gets to go back. Of course, if you try to stick it out together and both avoid it… Ah, let’s call that a ‘dealer’s choice,’ shall we? Ready now?

“Ten.”

Kiryu continued counting, just slow enough for dramatic tension but also too fast for there to be any time to think. Chou and Hotaru glanced at each other at the same time, but neither of them could get any words out—not that Chou was trying. Sure, getting shot seemed like it would hurt like a bitch, and there was no guarantee Kiryu would hold true on his word. But letting Hotaru take the bullet so Chou could come back to life alone wasn’t going to be acceptable, either. Hotaru had already proposed the option of the two of them going through the Game together one more time, and maybe that would be the best chance at survival they’d have.

_But sorry, Nee-chan._

“Three.”

Chou tensed her muscles, getting ready to move.

“Two.”

_I’m too selfish to let that be how this story goes._

“One.”

She didn’t have the power of her Psyches on her side, but Chou could still pack a punch. One quick hit to the gut was all it took for Hotaru to fall backwards. Chou didn’t look back, didn’t have breath to waste on an apology, even as Hasekitsu let out a surprised shout. She ran for Kiryu head on, only catching a glimpse of his grin before she chickened out watching the moment it happened and shut her eyes.

“Zero.”

The bang was deafening, but the pain was much more important to her body’s awareness, and Chou hit the floor, her eyes shocked wide open as she stared at the infinitely high ceiling above.

Waking up in the middle of Scramble Crossing, Tsukiko Hotaru, the sole survivor of her first Reaper’s Game, cried.

* * *

**[The Future Is in Sight]**

**[Return to the Present – 725 Days Forward]**

* * *

* * *

The Seventh Day Bonus Episode

“Reunion & Reveal”

* * *

“Allow me to introduce the GM in charge of our Muse Game: Tendo Suzumebachi.”

The words were really meaningless. Yoshiya needn’t even bothered with an introduction. It could have been two centuries rather than two years, and Hotaru still would’ve recognized the Game Master now standing before her.

“ _Nee-chan._ ”

Their voices overlapped, both Tsukiko twins speaking at the same time. They were only a meter apart on the concrete, but Hotaru felt as if there were a greater distance between them. Chou had put up so many walls around herself, enough to take on an alias as the fallen Suzume, and Hotaru wasn’t sure she could reach across the gulf that was separating them even further than things like UG and RG ever could.

_But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try._

“Nee-chan,” Hotaru said, stepping forward. Beneath her unkempt bangs, Chou’s brown eyes followed her movements. “I missed you so much. I-I mean, it was tough coming back, but I’ve been doing okay. Well, maybe that’s hard to believe considering I’m in the Game again, but I promise…that…”

“That’s enough,” Chou said, and her voice was harder than before, forced to an edge that sounded like a chipped knife in audio form—sharp, but still jagged, broken. “I… We don’t have time to do this. The past doesn’t matter here because right now, you’re a Player, and I’m the Game Master.”

“But that’s—”

“Goodness, dear, you’re being rather cruel to Hotaru-chan here,” Yoshiya said, slipping into the conversation from the sidelines, just like before. “I mean, when she came to talk with me and Sanae, one of her biggest concerns was your wellbeing—”

Chou stomped the ground with a snarl. “I don’t want to hear anything else from you!” Hotaru winced, and Yoshiya watched on with an unimpressed gaze. “I’m not done yet, Kiryu. You may have manipulated things into your fucking favor, but I’m still the damn GM, and I’m not going to let you take anything else from me!” She pivoted on her heel, sending up her hair in a curtain and showing off the stretch of her skeletal Reaper wings.

Hotaru tried to push past the shock coursing through her veins to say something else. “Hold on, please wait—”

“Nee-chan,” Chou said, her voice sounding more rust than blade in the moment that Hotaru felt the drowsiness of the end of the day started to wash over her, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want this. But for now, please just trust me. I promise:

“No matter what happens, I’m going to keep you safe.”


End file.
